Foreigner Among Foreigners
by RedXEagl3
Summary: (CANCELLED) In a world where four heroes are summoned to fight back the forces of evil, he ends up being the odd one out. In more ways than just looks and armament.
1. Foreigner

**_Oh God RedXEag3 what the fuck are you doing now NO STOP BEFORE IT'S TOO-_**

**_It's too late, I've started another story, Common Sense. This one taking place in Shield Hero of all things._**

**_So basically I was challenged to do a Self-Insert into a story that's farther removed from what I usually do. Said person, a good friend of mine who goes by Aster's Descendants, gave me three options, and I chose Shield Hero. Now, this comes with four rules. Those being:_**

**_1\. The Character cannot have godly/god-like (compared to their universe) powers right off the bat. _**

**_2\. Character pairings optional, but must be believable for the universe._**

**_3\. Character must have a believable way to arrive at chosen world (or if one can't be thought of, a ROB that works for your chosen universe)_**

**_4\. Canon characters must stay as themselves. No OOC for reasons of bashing._**

**_And here we are. This will probably not be updated very often in the slightest, considering I not only have two fics I'm working on but I have college on top of it, but I may write a chapter for this whenever I feel like it._**

**_There may or may not be references to everything I've ever watched/read/listened to so be careful._**

**_(Especially Dark Souls)_**

**_Hope you enjoy!_**

* * *

_An outlook stretching towards the horizon is where I sat, motionless. The ocean crashed onto the eroded rock, sending sea foam far up the cliff. The wind blew wildly through my hair, but I did not pay attention to it._

_There were more important things to focus on anyway._

_A ball. Small and distinct, bounced and found itself next to my ankle. My gaze moved towards it, studying it for only a moment before picking it up. I stood up, the cape I wore obscuring my frame and flapping in the wind._

_I turned around, ball in hand._

_And saw her-_

* * *

My eyes opened. Light from some unseen source pierced my eyes, making me wince and groan in response.

"Okay, who the hell decided to turn on the sun today…?" I muttered.

Alarm bells rang when I heard a voice, and realized I was standing. My eyes shot _wide _open when that happened.

"O brave heroes, please save our world!" The voice said, sounding like someone out of a medieval reenactment documentary.

_O brave whosiwahtsits? Save which world now? The fuck is-_

My vision cleared, and finally, the dots connected.

A well-decorated cathedral, or maybe just a church? I couldn't tell. The stonework was impeccable, with smooth stone pillars and well-chiseled carvings, along with beautiful engravings in the walls. Below me was a stainless marble-tiled floor of some sort, with a complicated circle with many different indecipherable markings within it.

The people in front of me wore strange, yet well-made, clothes. In my eyes the resembled priest robes or something like that. Although the cloaks made them look a little… _sinister_ is the word that comes to mind. Their gazes were weary and exhausted.

In moments, I made the connection.

_I've been isekai'd_.

…

_Ah HELL_

"What do you mean by that?" A high-pitched, yet recognizably masculine, voice spoke out somewhere to my left.

It occurred to me then that I wasn't alone.

Three people stood next to me, looking completely at ease with the current situation. It might have had something to do with the weapons they were carrying, which they seemed to lug around with not a care in the world. The guy on my immediate right carried a spear with a golden gem between the shaft and the point, and he wore casual clothes, with somewhat messy light hair. The guy, well, more like _boy _next to the Spearman had black hair and carried a sword with a blue gem in the guard. The last one, the one who spoke before, was a lithe guy with a bow, with an orange gem as the centerpiece.

The last thing I noticed was that I practically _towered _over everyone in the hall. The tallest guy there was the spear guy, and he was around 5'5.

_Well hello my fellow interdimensional travelers fancy meeting you here_

Curiosity made me look down to see if I got a cool-as-hell weapon too. On my left arm, a metal small shield with a green gem inlaid in the center seemed to stare right back up at me.

I looked at the shield.

The shield seemed to look at me.

_Okay then I have SEVERAL QUESTIONS-_

"All will be answered, heroes!" The, I assumed he was a priest, assuaged. "For now, though, this explanation should suffice: You are the Four Cardinal Heroes, and you have been summoned to save our country and the world from certain destruction. Please, will you help us?" He asked hopefully.

_Okay so lemme get this down so that I don't have a fucking brain aneurysm thirty seconds after being summoned to a new world. I've been isekai'd, and, apparently, the four of us are heroes who are going to save a world, and each of us has a thuper thpecial weapon that can kill shit and we doesn't afraid of nothing-_

_Honestly could be worse couldn't it boyo?_

I was about to respond, asking for clarification or, well, _anything_, at that point, when one of my _fellow _heroes spoke out, his tone challenging.

"I refuse."

_Well fucking hell don't even give him a chance to elaborate genius_

I turned and looked down to see one of the heroes, this one with the bow who was almost a foot shorter than me, step forward. "We didn't ask for any of this; you summoned us against our will."

"I have to agree." The spear man said, casually holding said spear on his shoulder. "Say we help save your world, and then you just send us off again? Then we would have done it all for nothing."

"I concur with both of them." The last one, the one with the sword, pointed his sword threateningly at the priests. "If you want us to save you, you will need to make it worth our while."

"Some heroes you guys are…" I mumbled under my breath, attempting to rub my forehead and nearly bashed myself in the face with my shield. "Okay," I breathed in and out. "You guys are demanding compensation without even doing anything. Should at least hear them out before we demand anything."

They all looked at me, well, looked _up _at me, with confused expressions.

"He told us everything we needed to know, did he not?" The sword boi asked, brows furrowed. "We should make our terms clear before we agree to anything they have to say."

I held up my arms in a gesture of surrender. "Hey, just making a suggestion Kirito. Let's not get big heads and start demanding shit just because they call us heroes, 'right?"

His eyebrow twitched. "My name is-"

"Please, brave heroes! There is no need for argument. Allow us to escort you to the king of our nation, so that he may offer further explanation." The priest suggested, quickly stopping an argument from brewing.

We all looked at each other for several seconds, apparently having a conversation through telepathy, before the Kirito-expy lowered his sword. "I suppose that is far."

"Might as well." Said the bow boi.

"Who knows, maybe there'll be a cute princess there." The spear boi said dreamily, before shivering slightly. "Non-violent, hopefully…"

"Well, everyone has their delusions, I guess." I remarked quietly.

* * *

We were on our way to the castle when I finally got a good look at the sprawling city. Considering we were merely walking through the streets before then, I didn't get a good chance to look at it. When I finally did though, looking through that glassless hole, it took my breath away.

It had finally begun to sink in at that point. I, _we_, were well and truly in another world. Either that, or we had been summoned to the most 3rd world country in existence, which was, ironically enough, less believable than what had happened just a while before.

My lagging behind did not go unnoticed by the short bowman.

"It is very beautiful, isn't it?" He murmured, just right next to me.

I turned to him, smirking a little despite myself. "It sure is, Legolas." I replied, feeling a cool breeze through my hair. "Nice wind too."

"It's a Mediterranean climate to be sure. Have you never been outside of America before?" He asked.

_How does he know I'm American. I could be from Britain for all he knows_

I looked at him strangely. "Yes… I have? Why'd you ask that?"

He looked like he was about to respond, an apologetic expression on his face, before Spear boi called to us. "You two coming or should we keep going without you?"

I gave Legolas one last look before replying. "We're coming, wait up!"

* * *

I actually had to lower the pace at which I was walking just so I wouldn't overtake everyone. Considering how tall I was compared to everyone else, it didn't really surprise me, but it did send my impatience levels into overdrive, something I hated more than life itself.

In time, however, we arrived. The hall we now found ourselves in was something you might see in a fantasy game's concept art, being even more fancy, regal, and ornate than the church. Although, considering it was supposedly the home to royalty, that fact was not surprising. The king himself sat upon a golden throne, looking every part the type of king one would see in a generic fantasy setting.

There was one thing that I had made note of earlier that came to me in full force now.

_I am in a country full of midgets_

That was exaggerating, but it was clear from the stares and small whispers I heard at the edge of my hearing that I was an oddity among oddities. The Noblemen and women who had apparently gathered to see the heroes enter stood only to about my neck at the most.

We walked semi-speedily, until we were directly in front of the king himself. Several groups of people stood at his side. Advisors? Political factions? My head swarmed with ideas.

"Welcome, Four Cardinal Heroes, to the country of Melromarc. My name is King Aultcray Melromarc XXXII, the current reigning monarch. May I please have your names?" His voice was deep, low, commanding, everything you would expect out of royalty.

It was a bit daunting, and I did notice the way he kept glancing at me out of the corner of his eye. I really hoped this height situation wouldn't be an issue.

The farthest to the right, nickname Legolas, stepped forward. "Nice to meet you. My name is Itsuki Kawasumi. I'm seventeen and a high school student. Please, take care of me."

_I know it's a Japanese thing but I sincerely doubt they will be the ones taking care of us Legolas_

The king gave a nod of acknowledgement as the second farthest to the left, nickname Kirito, stepped forward. "Ren Amaki, 16, high school student."

_That's nice edgeboi Kirito_

Finally, the one on my immediate left, nickname pending, stepped forward. "I'm Motoyasu Kitamura, I'm twenty-one, and a college student. Nice to meet you all!"

_I think I have a good nickname for ya my man. Lancer. I wonder if you'll live up to the name?_

Getting ready to take a step forward myself, I was stopped by the King seemingly ignoring me. "Itsuki, Ren, and Motoyasu… Interesting."

I patted my body, making it as obvious as possible. Lancer took notice.

"…What're you doing?" He asked, eyebrow raised.

"Just checking to make sure I'm not invisible, you know, since I was apparently skipped over." I replied, completely deadpan.

"That's a bit rude, don't you think?" Legolas commented. "He _is _royalty."

"He is? I didn't notice." I shot back. "And what's more rude? Being ignored, or calling out being ignored?"

The King took a deep breath. "My apologies. What is your name?" He asked curtly.

I realized that my behavior was hardly befitting of someone in the presence of royalty, but considering royalty is a foreign concept to someone like me, I didn't think about it very much. I really should have, but I didn't. I had to iron that out of me at some point; I doubt others would take my attitude as lightly as the King apparently had.

I eyed him before speaking. "My name is Alexander Grant, 18, and currently a college student."

The King didn't even give me a sign of recognition as small as a tilt of the head before he decided enough was enough and explained the whole situation to us.

_Okay well I guess that's fine I just LOVE to be ignored after all_

"I have no doubt that the four of you are confused, but please, allow me to explain the current situation and the reason why you, the Four Cardinal Heroes, were summoned." He closed his eyes. "In short, the very existence of our country, and the world as we know it, is threatened. Before we summoned you, we were beset by a wave of destruction and death that nearly tore us apart. Fortunately, we were able to launch a successful counter-offensive of mercenaries and adventurers that were able to beat back the wave and buy us time."

_Crapasaccharine world it is then_

The King looked sorrowful. "The casualties were massive, and I knew in the end that we would not be able to survive a similar wave. So, I have summoned the four of you, to aid us in our time of need. Each of you has a legendary weapon of incredible potential that can be nurtured to save our world. The Four Cardinal Heroes of the Bow, Sword, Spear, and Shield. I ask of you, please, save our world from utter destruction."

He gave a convincing presentation, I wasn't gonna lie.

Us four 'heroes' looked amongst ourselves, apparently having another telepathic conversation that I was oblivious to on a conscious level. Lancer spoke up, supposedly speaking for all of us.

"We will be compensated for this, right?" He asked.

The King nodded. "You will all be rewarded handsomely for your efforts, and party members are on their way here as we speak to join you in this quest."

We looked among ourselves one final time. I already had an answer, considering I really always wanted something like this to happen. Who wouldn't take the chance to be a hero? Sure, it was just a shield that I had, but that could mean a multitude of things. I was probably the tankiest of all the four of us naturally before I even got the shield, but with it? I was optimistic.

I nodded my head in silent agreement to the others.

Legolas and Kirito nodded as well, and Lancer answered for us once more.

"We accept your terms, Your Majesty." He bowed. "Please, take care of us."

The King nodded, a smile on his face which, if I wasn't seeing things, faltered ever so slightly one last time when his eyes met mine.

_I'm not THAT ugly am I_

"Excellent!" The King said. "You truly are the heroes of legend I have always heard of! The next wave is set to arrive in a month. During this time I recommend you focus on training and arming yourselves for the coming battles. Tomorrow, you will set off on a quest the likes of which this world has never seen! In the meantime, I'm sure you are exhausted from all that has happened today. Please, make use of the rooms we have for you…"

* * *

I sat on a couch, almost taking up half of it just by sitting on it while propping my arms up on the backboard of it, with my head tilted back, just thinking. The conversation the other three heroes were having sounded little more than mumbling.

"…And to think that…"

"I was a bit nervous really…"

"Interesting…"

My thoughts never crossed the other heroes. Instead, I retreaded old ground in my mind, that being, the fact I had been isekai'd. I was well and truly in another world. A goddamn _medieval _world. Besides that obvious detriment of losing many basic modern amenities, I also had to figure out just what _kind _of… well… _isekai_ world this place was.

The way I saw it, there was two possible, opposing types of world this place could be, with a decent amount of variation between the two extremes.

One, this was a purely wish fulfillment world, where after easily dispatching the waves with my stalwart true companions and drop-dead gorgeous love interest, I set off into the sunset towards lands unexplored, a life full of promise and satisfaction in my wake.

Or, two, this could be the crapsackiest of crapsack worlds. A veritable death-world not unlike that of _Berserk_, where our probably extremely fragile mettle is tested over and over again in a fruitless endeavor to prolong our miserable lives for another day for no other reason than survival. Whatever happiness we find for ourselves will most likely be stripped away by something as simple as a lucky hit, and that includes any drop-dead gorgeous love-interests we may stumble upon.

It has to be said that I don't find survival for survival's sake to be very attractive. In my opinion, what is the point in living if you have nothing to live for?

I let out a breath and cracked on eye open, staring at the shield on my arm. Analyzing it.

Now that I got a good look at it, it was, for lack of a better term, bigger than the other heroes' weapons (if you could call a shield a weapon). It was like the shield was made for me, fitting how big I was while the other heroes' weapons fit their sizes just perfectly as well.

_How convenient_

But to be a hero… Well, that was something I always wanted to be, really. And considering, with these weapons, and the 'screens' I could see that seemed to imply that this world operated at least somewhat on video game logic, and, well…

_Being a hero doesn't seem so impossible now doesn't it bucko_

I was in another world, another time, another place. I could have a fresh start, be whomever I want, be the hero I always wanted to be and abandon all the walls I had built around myself over the years. I would, of course, be prepared in the event that this world _did _turn out to be a death-world of truly biblical proportions, but if otherwise…

"…Is he…"

"I dunno, he could be just…"

"Wake up."

The stern, yet slightly immature, voice made me open my eyes fully, glaring at edgeboi Kirito who had rudely interrupted my musings.

I raised an eyebrow, letting my slight frustration be known. "What is it?"

He sighed. "We were hoping that you could corroborate something with us."

Spearboi, new nickname Lancer, scoffed. "As if he needs to agree to anything! Even an American like him should know about Emerald Online!"

Legolas shook his head. "I don't think he would. Besides, this place is more similar to Dimension Wave, although it is a bit different. I've never even heard of Emerald Online before today."

Kirito spoke up. "And, essentially, I am saying that this world is almost exactly like Brave Star Online, a VRMMO. Last time I checked Brave Star had an English translation out, and I am curious if you've ever heard of it."

I tilted my head. "Never heard of anything like what you all just said. In fact, this is more like an isekai anime than any game I've ever played or heard of for that matter." I perked up slightly. "Wait, did you say VRMMO?"

Kirito nodded. "I did. They have been around for years." He added.

Legolas shook his head. "VRMMO's haven't even been tested yet, so…"

"Okay, hold up everyone. Let's get our facts straight, okay?" Lancer interrupted before anyone else could keep that clusterfuck of a conversation going. "Let's have a little history quiz then. Just real quick, okay? So, I will just ask this really quick. What's the most popular MMO out now!?" He shouted suddenly.

"Gun Horizon Online!"

"Brave Star Online."

"World of Warcraft."

We all looked between each other and considered our conflicting answers before Lancer asked another question. "Who won World War II!?"

"The Axis!"

"The Allies."

"Allies."

_Okay this is freaking me out a little now. Did we all get summoned from completely different versions of Earth?_

Lancer took a deep breath before asking the next question, apparently coming to the same conclusion I already had. "Who is the current Prime Minister!? Ah, well… you don't have to answer this one." He added, looking at me.

I held my arms up in the universal 'what-the-fuck-can-ya-do' sign.

Legolas stared blankly. "Japan… doesn't have a Prime Minister. It has a Shogun and Emperor."

"Japan only has an Emperor…" Kirito murmured.

I clapped my hands once, getting attention affixed on me. "You know what this means, don't you?" I stood up, looking down on my three compatriots, before swinging my hands to the side in a pose you'd imagine a shitty priest would make. "Rejoice, friends! Not only have we all been summoned to another world, but we have also been summoned from completely different versions of Earth!"

I sat back down after that.

"Please, never do that again." Kirito pleaded.

"I make no promises."

"While this has all been interesting, it doesn't change what happens, does it?" Legolas asked. "No matter where we're from, we're going to save these people. That's what heroes do, isn't it?"

"Hell, doesn't sound so bad." I replied. "In fact, considering your guys weapons and this shield, we could form a party of our own-"

A screen popped up in front of me.

"_Warning: Working together with other heroes who wield Legendary Weapons will severely reduce EXP gain._"

I frowned. "Well, okay, nevermind then."

"That settles that. It's fine, however. I would rather be alone anyway." Kirito said.

_I'm sure you would edgeboi_

"I guess we'll all have to work apart from each other." Lancer sighed.

"A real tragedy to be sure." I deadpanned.

Lancer eyed me. "Yeah, but that's a big problem for you though, isn't it?"

"How so?" I asked, genuinely curious.

He got up. "You have just a shield, right? Nothing else?"

I looked at the shield on my left hand, the green gem in the middle glaring back up at me. I looked back up at Lancer. "So I do."

Lancer chuckled humorously.

Kirito closed his eyes and muttered something unintelligible.

Legolas looked at me with sympathy and pity.

All three increased my frustration.

"Is there a problem with the shield?" I asked, sitting up straight.

"Not a problem with the shield really, it's just…" Lancer took a moment to think. A hard process that required careful use of his last remaining brain cells I'm sure. "The thing is, there was a class that looked a lot like you back in Emerald Online. It was easily the worst class in the game, and only used by people who really had no idea what they were doing. I guess it was like that for you guys too?"

Legolas nodded slowly while Kirito was too busy being an edgeboi to comment.

_Words of wisdom from Sasuke over here fucking hell_

"In other words," Lancer got close to me and, since I was sitting down, leaned forward, his face only a few centimeters from mine. "You are the weakest out of all of us."

I stared at Lancer.

Lancer stared at me.

The shield seemingly stared at Lancer.

Slowly, making sure the creaking of the couch was as pronounced as possible as I did so, I got up from my slouched position and stood over Lancer, looking down at him as he had to me.

"And to that I say, Motoyasu, you don't know what you're talking about." I replied finally, stepping back and holding up my shield. "Oh, don't get me wrong, my damage is probably non-existent, and you guys could probably kill more things than I could ever hope to, but when it comes to defenses, look at you!"

I pointed at each of them, stating that each one of them had a slim, easily _crushable _build.

"Me, on the other hand? If I get to a certain level, I could tank hits for literal _days_. Don't get me wrong, if I have the chance to use an actual offensive weapon, I'll take it, but this isn't nearly as bad as I'm sure you all think it is." I sat back down. "Whatever game you played, Motoyasu, my dear friend, was either broken or the people playing it were mentally deficient on a level only comprehensible by quantum mechanics." I finished.

Lancer looked at me, completely red in the face as the others seemed to ponder my words for a moment. Sighing, realizing I may have just antagonized Lancer like an idiot, I got up.

"I'm gonna get some fresh air. Call me if it's time to eat." I said curtly, before opening the door to the balcony and closing it behind me.

Pleasant wind hit my face as I stared out at the gorgeous sunset, bathing the city below in an orange glow that was amazing to look at. I felt the tension that had been building for a while now loosen, feeling my shoulders in particular sag like they'd been holding up a pile of boulders for hours.

My hands on the guard rail, I stared at the sunset, breathing in and out.

After a few moments of that, I looked at my shield. The damn thing still looked like it was staring at me with that green gem in it.

"Bah," I began. "Who cares what they think anyway? I'll just have to find someone to do the fighting for me and we'll be golden. Ain't the right, shield?"

The green gem seemed to say: 'not fucking likely'.

"I realize I'm talking to an inanimate object. A legendary inanimate object, but an object nonetheless… Well, whatever, if this is the first hurdle, I'll overcome it. And with you, maybe I'll get through it relatively unscathed, well, physically at least. Now then,"

I held my fist up, a goofy grin on my face as I imitated a pose a shounen protagonist might make. "Let's go on a motherfucking adventure!"

* * *

_**This poor fucker. He has no idea. He's about to become the true shield hero.**_

_**So I actually wrote most of this out of memory and a little bit of original dialogue added in there. Didn't just wanna retread canon situations, did I? Except one, of course.**_

_**Fun Fact: Most of the characters in Shield Hero are actually tiny compared to most people I know. Naofumi? He's like 5'2. The tallest person I had actually height for was Motoyasu and he was only 5'5. Weird the things you come upon in research.**_

_**So how was that? Took me a while to reach my groove for this but I'm pretty satisfied with the result. Or maybe this'll be forgotten and flamed to death, in which case, it has been fun while its lasted. But if it isn't, fantastic!**_

_**Got really nothing else to say here, so I hope you all have a good day!**_


	2. Obligation

_**Well when I get a response this fucking amazing I am inclined to continue it. Hopefully this chapter is up to you people's expectations. Story will continue to diverge as time goes on don't worry.**_

_**Enjoy!**_

* * *

A long yawn escaped me as the four of us stood in the same hall we had had an audience with the king in the day prior. Honestly, I had not been able to sleep that night very well. I blamed the thoughts and shy excitement I felt at what had happened only just yesterday. Either that, or my habit of staying up longer than any human should reasonably be able to followed me into this world. Both were equally valid, and it was probable that both had played a part in my drowsiness.

Despite that, I was practically _shaking _with excitement. Who wouldn't? I was finally becoming something I'd always wanted to be, in one way or another. I felt like I could finally do something, if that makes sense.

_My eyes still feel heavy tho_

We can't win them all.

But enough about that. We were about to set out on our journey. In front of us were about two-dozen people of various shapes and sizes (although none taller than me still), wielding a plethora of weapons and staves, and in various forms of armor and robes. The four of us stood in front of them, apparently inspecting them.

"Heroes, here we have the best and brightest adventurers who I have summoned that are willing and able to fight by your side." The King explained. "Once they have chosen which of you to follow, each of you will be given 800 silver to spend however you see fit."

I analyzed the adventurers in front of us. Each one seemed like they'd be able to handle themselves in a fight. Basically, exactly what I was looking for.

My eyes made contact with someone else's. A woman with red hair and green eyes stared back at me. She wore what appeared to be leather armor with various other bits of metal strapped here and there. She smiled at me.

_excuse me what_

I turned around to see if she was perhaps smiling at a friend or something but saw no one except a royal procession of some sort that was no different from the others. Turning back around, my eyebrow raised.

Unfortunately, that was the moment that the king allowed the adventurers to choose who to party up with, so I didn't get to see what else she was doing.

I shut my eyes, attempting to get my breathing under control, my previous sleepiness completely forgotten. The footsteps of the adventurers around was the only thing I heard. After I couldn't hear them anymore, I opened my eyes, and turned around.

I was met with a line of ghosts behind me. Not literal ghosts though. That implies that there was someone there.

Not a single solitary soul stood behind me.

_Now that's just rude. Didn't realize I was so intimidating/ugly. Fucking hell_

Groups of adventurers gathered behind every single hero except me, and none of them looked like they wanted to move from their comfortable positions behind them. In fact, a few of them glanced at me as if I was about to pounce on them and tear them to shreds.

"Okay, I'll bite, what the hell?" I asked, my arms stretched to my sides, as I looked around. "No one? Not even _one_?"

"Well, that is unfortunate…" The King murmured, just loud enough for me to hear. He honestly didn't sound broken up about it.

"Okay… okay." I sighed, rubbing my forehead. "Ren, you willing to… lend me anyone?"

Kirito stared at me, and then looked back to the group behind him. "If you want to, go ahead. I have no use for weaklings. If any of you fail to measure up, I will not be afraid to cut you loose." He told them coldly, to which they nodded their heads vigorously.

_Laying it on there a little thick ain't ya Sasuke-Kirito_

I looked at Legolas, who merely gave me an apologetic shrug.

_You really are an elf; you're fucking useless_

I turned to the last hero other than me in the room. "…Motoyasu?"

"Eh he he…" He laughed lightly, rubbing the back of his head as he stared at his… at his _all-female _party.

One thought passed through my mind.

_what_

They were all gorgeous women. Every single one of them. It was almost surreal that they all gathered behind him like that. Lancer stared at them with a gaze that would make Issei Hyoudou proud, but he reigned it in well enough I supposed.

"Ah- Ahem. Uh, I mean, if anyone wants to go with Alex…?" He tried looking at them with what I could only assume to be a constipated expression.

_Well you're just living the perfect dream aren't you motherfucker_

I felt the optimism that I had had since arriving in this world begin to crash and burn as no one showed any signs of straying away from the party they had chosen.

I clapped my hands against the sides of my thighs. "Well, I guess I'm alone then. Fantastic. Amazing. Just absolutely fu- _stupendous_. Thanks a lot, guys. Really making me feel welcomed here."

It wasn't so bad, I thought. I mean, I still had the shield, right? At least it cared about me. I stared down at it and smiled.

The shield's green gem-eye looked right back up at me and seemed to say: 'you lonely bastard'.

_That hurt shield_

The King sighed, leaning back in his throne. "I suppose there is no way to help with that. If everyone is-"

"Excuse me, I would like to party with the Shield Hero." A light voice said.

If I was a dog, my ears would have perked up. I turned to the sound of the voice and saw _her_.

The same woman from before who had smiled at me when our eyes met now stood behind me, switching places from the back of Lancer's group to mine. She gave me a pleasant smirk as I stared at her in bewilderment.

_Something ain't right here boyo_

I couldn't quite place my finger on it at the time. I just guessed that my paranoia involving people in general, which I had tried to suppress after last night, came back to the forefront of my mind. She was, after all, admittedly gorgeous, and had zero obligation to join me. I was fully prepared to accept my fate as the fucking sad boi I was. It was completely realistic to feel a little bit of suspicion when something like that happens.

Nonetheless, I accepted her with a curt nod. Lancer, on the other hand, sputtered like a dying car from the 1950s.

"Wha- But-" Lancer took a deep breath. "Are you sure?" He asked finally.

The red-head nodded exuberantly. "Of course! I assume the Shield Hero can't fight on his own very effectively, so he needs someone to fight for him, correct? Either way, this should make for a nice change of pace." She looked back to me and smiled, holding her hand out. "My name is Myne Sophia, Shield Hero. I hope we work well together!"

_…maybe you jumped the gun a bit there boyo_

After a few seconds standing there like a fucking gimp, I shook her hand. "Likewise, Myne." I managed to mutter. "Nice to have you aboard."

If anything, her smile somehow became more radiant than it was before.

I decided then that I was going to keep an eye on her, but not actively distrust her. What would she have to gain from betraying me? Nothing I could think of at that moment. Besides, we were here to save the motherfucking _world_. There were more important things to worry about.

I turned back around and saw that the king had an expression of grim understanding on his weathered and bearded face.

"Very well," He intoned. "If you have all gathered your respective parties, here are the coins you were promised…"

* * *

It was outside of the castle, just right before we exited the groundseas proper, that I decided to do something I had been meaning to do since my conversation with the other three heroes ended the night prior.

"I'm gonna go… uh… say something to the other heroes real quick. Wanna come with?" I asked.

Myne shrugged. "I'll go wherever you go, Shield Hero. I'm part of your party after all!" She flashed a smile.

Despite myself, I smiled back. "So you are." I replied. "Let's go."

To my surprise, and to the satisfaction of my laziness, they were all gathered in one place, apparently saying good bye to one another. I made my way there, Myne in tow, and interjected into the conversation.

"Hey guys." I greeted softly.

Lancer raised his brows in slight surprise. "Well, look who it is."

"I honestly thought you would have left by now." Kirito commented.

_I grant you a seat on the edge council, but I do not grant you the rank of edgelord Kirito_

Legolas gave a single nod in greeting.

"Yeah, that was about the response I was expecting." I sighed. "Look, I know I was a bit of a douche yesterday, and I can't blame it all on nerves and exhaustion. However, this entire situation is bigger than all of us, and I don't wanna go into the fire knowing the people I'm probably gonna try and protect hate my guts. So, I guess I'm saying I'm sorry for being massive prick yesterday and hope we can… eh, work together as the world falls apart around us?" I finished, taking in their expressions.

Lancer looked genuinely surprised, and so did Kirito. Legolas was the first to step up and hold out a hand.

"Apology accepted, Alex," He smiled.

I nodded and shook his hand, meanwhile Kirito merely scoffed.

"I never held a grudge against you. Do you really think I would be so irrational and petty?" He said.

_Normally I'd say yes but I'm trying to be nice_

I just nodded dumbly at him, assuming that was his way of saying 'no hard feelings bro'.

Lancer looked like he thought long and hard about what he was going to say, before he apparently gave it up and just sighed. "Eh, I guess I was a little mean yesterday too. It'd be good to start over before we head out, right?"

I smirked. "My thought exactly, Motoyasu."

"Shield Hero?" Myne called my title next to me. "We should probably use that money the king gave us to purchase equipment. We do not want to be caught out in the dark before we have a chance to gain experience."

I turned to Myne. "Yeah, you're right. Just a sec," Looked back at the other heroes. "Well guys, this is it. Let's go on a motherfucking adventure, yeah?"

* * *

"You sure this is _the _best place in the city to buy gear?" I asked with a raised brow, staring at the rather humble looking building.

"The best that I know of." Myne confirmed. "Although even then, we might have to place a custom order, considering how… _large_, you are."

I gave her a flat look. "…Are you calling me fat?"

She held a hand to her mouth, looking shocked. "Perish the thought!"

_She definitely just called me fat_

I merely sighed and opened the door, holding it open so she could enter first like the gentleman I was.

It certainly looked like what a weapon/armor shop would look like. Swords, axes, daggers, along with several types of armor were displayed on the walls. A bald man stood behind a wooden counter. He was easily the largest person I'd seen since arriving in Melromarc, being around 5'6. I still stood above him but not quite as much as everyone else I had seen. Hell, Myne only stood to about my chest.

"Welcome! Can I… Oh, it's you!" The man seemed to recognize me to some extent. "The… Shield Hero, right?"

I nodded. "That's right. Word already spreading?"

"It would be weirder if it wasn't, Shield Hero." Myne commented. "You are all called the 'Four Cardinal Heroes' for a reason."

"Fair enough." I huffed. "Any chance you could offer us a discount? Ya know, since we're trying to save the world and all?"

_Might as well save money where I can_

The shop owner adopted a thinking pose as we approached the counter. "You are not wrong- Damn, you're big, aren't you?" He said as I stood in front of him.

"Whatever gave you that idea? I was under the impression I was a dwarf." I drawled, looking down at him. Myne giggled next to me.

The shop keeper grimaced. "Yeah, sorry about that, it's just surprising… Anyway, yeah, I could offer a small discount I guess, but nothing major. Still got to run a business, you know?"

"Just trying to save money, man. Not run you outta business. Speaking of which…" I looked to one of the sword racks. "Myne, buy whatever you feel like you need. I need to check something."

"Roger that!" She replied cheerfully.

_Sometimes I can't tell if she's being real or just making fun of me_

I wandered over to the sword rack, the conversation in the background nothing but background noise. Once I was there, I attempted to grab one of them.

Only to have my hand, for lack of a better term, _repelled_.

For a single instant, a blue light sparked, and my hand was forcefully batted away as my vision became obscured by a notice.

"_Notice: The wielder of the Legendary Shield cannot hold anything with intent to use as a weapon._"

_Okay that's bullshit_

"Shield Hero! Are you okay!?" Myne was behind me in an instant, checking to see if anything had really happened to me.

I gave her a disarming, but slightly dampened smile. "Yeah, just had to test something. Really sucks too. Ah well, did you find something?"

She nodded her head excitedly. "Yes! I found this-" She hefted a shortsword that was sheathed, but it was almost like I could _feel _the sharpness from inside of it.

_plz don't be Lorena Bobbitt. plz _

I looked at the shop owner, who looked completely nonplussed at the fact that a blue glow kept me from using any of his weapons. "How much?"

The shop owne-

_You know what, I'mma call him Bob_

Bob walked over and inspected the weapon. Appraising it, really.

"Well, considering your Hero's Discount, I'd place this at around… 250 silver pieces." He told me.

I felt the metaphorical punch to the wallet and had to stop tears from falling as I handed him the money, reasoning that if Myne was my only companion that I might as well give her the best money could buy.

* * *

"_Gah! _Motherfucker-!" I shouted, feeling the sharp pointy teeth of a _living balloon _pierce my clothes and prick at my skin. I tore it off me with a snarl, glaring at the ugly thing's face for a moment before punching it into the ground and stepping on it, hearing the cathartic 'pop' it made.

Myne was off to the side, waiting for her turn to make mincemeat out of the _goddamn _balloons.

"No, it's okay, Myne. I'll just stand here and get nommed on by _fucking balloons_. Can't have your hair ruined, now can we?" I deadpanned, giving her the stink eye.

"Oh, _please_, you are fine! Those creatures barely made a dent in you!" She replied, brandishing the new, shiny, sharp sword I bought for her with my money.

_I should've negotiated a better deal fucking hell_

I looked off to the distance to see Kirito, in all of his edgy glory, cutting down a few balloons with complete ease as his companions watched.

It occurred to me that if there was a party system, it would be extremely helpful, and Myne wouldn't have to sit on her finely-shaped ass while I sat there and threw a temper tantrum on pieces of bloated helium. Unfortunately, I was _helpfully _informed that that didn't exist by my red-headed companion. So, in a nutshell, we weren't technically a party.

Which honestly didn't make much sense to me, and I was planning on investigating what she said later.

But for that moment, I had no choice but to grind EXP from these trash mobs, slowly raising my level.

_It ain't much but it's honest work_

I yelled in pain as another fucking balloon seemingly popped out of nowhere and proceeded to bury its teeth into my shoulder.

I suppose it didn't help that my attack stat was so ridiculously low that it took a minute just to kill these trash mobs. Good thing that my defense stat, to compensate, was ridiculously high for my level. With the balloon still trying to chew a hole through my flesh, I looked down at the shield on my left arm.

'_Spose I have you to thank for that huh_

It occurred to me then that I still had a balloon munching on my seemingly delicious shoulder while staring at a Shield that I talked to when I was lonely. All the while Myne looked like she was about to explode from holding in her laughter at the scene.

Grunting, I tore the balloon from my shoulder and squeezed it till it popped. Turning to Myne, I tried to keep my expression as level as possible.

Safe to say I failed miserably and laughed as well, for the first time since I arrived there.

* * *

"Oooh, that looks sturdy…" Myne trailed off, inspecting several pieces of armor as I talked to Bob.

"Look, I realize I'm taller than literally everyone here, but is it possible I could place an order for something… custom?" I asked, hopeful.

"Of course," Bob replied. "Considering your height, it would _have _to be custom. But I'll need your measurements to make it completely comfortable to wear. And it'll probably cost as _a lot_."

I sighed. "Of course it will. Everything in this world is expensive as shit. I'm not exactly made of money, ya know?"

Bob raised a brow. "You have the backing of the King of Melromarc. Even if he isn't the Queen, he should still have a lot of money."

I jingled my coin purse. "800 silver pieces, man. 650 since I bought that sword off you." I put the purse away, glancing at Myne out of the corner of my eye. "And it looks like I'm about to lose more of it."

Bob shrugged. "I guess the King wants you all to be… eh, self-sufficient? If he just up and gave you money all the time it would put a strain on the coffers I reckon."

"But like you said, he's the _King_, doesn't he have the most money and power or some shit?" I asked.

A strange grunt was all I heard before a metallic 'clang' of armor being piled on top of the counter nearly made me go deaf.

"Shield Hero!" Myne called, coming to my side. "I'm sure this is all I need! With this, I'll be able to take a hit or two before you have to step in!"

I eyed the shiny bits of metal. It did look sturdy. And expensive. _Very _expensive.

_I'll come up with a nickname for you yet Myne and right now I think it's 'She-Who-Has-No-Sense-Of-Money'_

I gave her a near-tear-filled stare. "Are… Are you sure you need this much?"

She nodded enthusiastically. "Mhm! You have a shield, and while I'm sure I can count on you to be there when I need you, I can't be cut down so easily, you know? Please?"

She got… almost uncomfortably close to me. I thought she was actually pressing her armored chest to me on purpose and tried her best to fill my nostrils with her perfume. It smelled good, I'll admit, but it also made me, well, _suspicious_.

_Nah actually I think your nickname is 'Gold-digger'_

Not wanting to make a scene because I'm a spineless moron, I turned to Bob.

"How much?" I asked, pointing at the armor.

"For you? It's free." He replied, sounding completely serious.

I stared at him for a good twenty seconds. "…Really?"

"No."

The sound of my wallet being torn to shreds was probably the stuff of legends at that point.

My head felt so heavy I felt my forehead almost slam into the counter. "How. Much." I repeated gruffly.

He inspected the metal bits and bobs for several seconds before giving me the bad news.

"450 silver." He answered.

It felt like 450 _silver bullets _into my soul.

I looked back at Myne, fairly certain tears were streaming down my face in droves. She merely gave me a smile and continued to plead by getting closer to me.

_HMMMMMMMMMM_

Putting my suspicion down for the moment, I attempted to haggle, slamming my fist on the table and demanding a lower price.

I left that shop 450 silver lighter and the tearful laughter of Myne in my ears.

It didn't sound very light-hearted to me anymore.

* * *

"So, you mean to tell me, that the nearest dungeon is around this village here? And it's often frequented by adventurers?" I asked, pointing at a dot on the map with writing I couldn't read next to it.

I found that out fairly quickly. Whatever magic allows me to communicate with the other heroes and the locals doesn't extend to the written language. I was sure the other heroes found that out as well, considering the language looks nothing like any Asiatic languages I'd ever seen. It looked like a strange combination of Hebrew and Latin.

_Didn't know the indo-europeans visited this place too_

Myne nodded. "Yes. It's a very old ruin, but if we go deep enough we should find something that can help us."

"Considering you just told me that it's a very popular stop for new adventurers, I doubt that." I sighed, leaning back in my chair. "But I guess it can't hurt to have a look around. We'll head there tomorrow."

She smiled. "Whatever you say, Shield Hero!"

She hadn't even said my name once.

I'd quickly grown more and more distrusting of her. My distrust of people in general had quickly grown during the day until it was all I thought about. I thought about it at the time but I really did want to have someone to adventure with, but I was quickly losing the feeling of gladness. Now, I realized I was probably a fool.

She hadn't done anything overt, but it was just enough for me to notice. She had no obligation or true reason to join me other than 'I felt like it', and throughout most of the day I'd been the one doing most of the heavy lifting, and then she _coerced _me into buying her cool, shiny new gear while I was still wearing my now tattered and torn clothes from my world. I hadn't even been able to place an order for a set of armor because of it. Now, I only had about 100 silver coins left. I lost 700 silver in just one day.

Safe to say, I was going to try something that night. And if it held true, I was going to have to be on the lookout for new companions.

"Ah, that's good…" Myne sighed contentedly, drinking wine out of a glass. I stared at her as she did this, and apparently, she took it a different way to how it actually was, because she smiled _sultrily _at me. "Would you like a drink, Shield Hero?"

"No." I replied curtly.

I hated alcohol.

She gently rolled the glass around on her hand, the wine sloshing from side to side like she was trying to hypnotize me. "Are you sure, Shield Hero? You know, Melromarc is a matriarchy, and it's extremely impolite to refuse a drink from a woman." She smirked at me, the same one that she flashed to me when I first laid eyes on her.

It seemed a lot more sinister now.

_What have you gotten yourself into boyo_

I crossed my arms, my expression unamused. "I'm not trying to seem rude, Myne. I just… _really _don't like alcohol." I looked beyond her at the wall. "I've seen what it can do to someone. I never want to be like that."

I would truly have to be at rock bottom if I ever stooped to drinking.

She pursed her lips and took another sip. "Suit yourself."

We sat there in an awkward and cold silence. Even the regular sounds of the inn seemed faraway and quiet.

I abruptly got up and made my way to the staircase, not even looking at her. "I'm going to bed. See you tomorrow."

"Sweet dreams, Shield Hero." She responded quietly. "Sweet dreams."

_Okay you know what fuck you_

* * *

I got to my room and immediately began preparing. 100 silver coins left. I took 50 out of the small sack and began hiding them in the shield.

If only the room had a lock, then I wouldn't have to do it that way.

You'd be surprised how effective a storage piece it was. All kinds of ways to hide coins in it. After I was done with that, I placed the last 50 on the top of a dresser, only a small walk and within eyesight of the door.

I tried to keep the jingle of the coins inside the shield to a minimum as I laid down and prepared to fall asleep.

This was a small test. If those coins were gone tomorrow, then I'll have a pretty good idea on who took them. If they weren't, and Myne was still there, I'd keep her on board for now but keep an eye on her. I decided to recruit people as fast as possible as a buffer zone between me and her, or, if I truly was sick of her shit, just kick her out.

_So much for allowing yourself to trust people huh boyo_

* * *

I awoke fully aware almost instantly. Getting up slowly, I looked at the dresser.

The bag was gone.

…_that bitch_

I should have known. Not only did she get practically _free _armor and a new shiny sword, but she stole what little money I had left. Well, half of it, at least. And now, I wagered, she was long gone. Off into the distance I was sure she went, cackling at my stupidity. Clearly, I was going to need to vat my new companions, if I ever found more again.

I sighed. Not only was I 750 silver short from yesterday, but now I was alone. Alone again.

_Perhaps it's better this way_

In the end, you can really only trust yourself.

Groaning, I got up. I guess I was lucky she didn't steal anything else. Not that there was much for her to steal other than the money, which I still held half of if the clinking inside the shield was anything to go by.

I stretched my back, hearing the satisfying pops as I did so. At least she was gone now.

I stepped outside my room and turned to my right. Guards ran up the stairs, their armor clanking loudly enough to wake the dead. The held spear almost as longer than they were tall, and the instant the saw me those spears were firmly pointed at me.

I stared blankly at them. "Problem, officers? You know, besides the fact that my money has been stolen, I mean."

They didn't look amused. One of them approached me. "Are you the Shield Hero?"

I held up the shield, staring at it then him. "I have no idea what could have given you that impression."

"We have the orders to take the Shield Hero into custody." The guard said. "The King demands you submit."

I scowled. "For what? The hell did I do?"

"I was not informed. I'm just following orders." He held up his spear. "We have also been ordered to take you in with force if you refuse to comply."

I looked at him and then at the shield, debating if it would be possible to fight my way out.

And then I remembered how paltry my attack stat was.

I sighed. "Fine. Fucking take me to the goddamn King then. Not sure how this day can get any fucking worse but I'm willing to bet that, somehow, it will."

_Murphy's Law is a bitch_

* * *

**_This poor boi. His life is gonna be fucking destroyed. And if you think Naofumi went off the deep end when this shit happened..._**

**_Anyway, I have a challenge to people who play Skyrim. I call it the Shield Hero Challenge. You can only use shields and non-damage dealing magic (although you can summon stuff). So basically: Block, Alteration, Conjuration, Restoration, Illusion, and whatever armor type you want to use. Hope you have as much fun as I am._**

**_The ending of this chapter irks me a little, but my friend who read this before I posted assured me it was good, so I'll take his word for it. _**

**_See you next time!_**


	3. Game Over

_**Here it is, the chapter you've all been waiting for. I honestly hope I did this part justice, considering how amazing I consider the original version to be. Honestly, it feels a little melodramatic to me, but what can ya do, huh?**_

_**The time for humor is over, now we get into the dark shit!**_

_**Enjoy!**_

_**Dear God I hope you enjoy this.**_

* * *

I have always had trouble trusting other people. I have never been able to figure out why, but I just do. It's just something that had always come naturally to me I suppose. Paranoia I'm sure some would call it. It's probably kept me out of many ugly situations, and many not so ugly ones. I could always trust it to give me the worst possible version and outcome in front of me. I thought, that night in the inn, that I had avoided one of those outcomes. That I had averted an oncoming disaster in the making.

I was wrong; it was worse.

It was then that I realized that people will always surprise you in the worst ways, no matter how hard you try to discern their motives.

* * *

The walk to the castle was long, owing to the fact that the guards seemingly wanted to get to take the longest possible route, and were going slower than a snail covered in molasses. Eventually, we burst into the king's hall, where he sat on his golden throne. Unlike his usual neutral expression, the moment I walked in, his creased and old face settled into a deep scowl.

They were all there, the other heroes. Each one looked at me like I was some sort of ugly creature that had happened to walk in on a pleasant evening. The hall itself was decently full, though not as full as the day before. The only people of importance though, beside the King, were the other heroes and the guards.

Myne was halfway behind Lancer, shaking and shivering as if she was in the presence of some eldritch monster. As I got closer, I realized Lancer was standing in front of her protectively.

Despite this scene, my mouth went off anyway.

"Unless this is some sort of trial for the money she stole from me, I really don't have the time and the patience to-" I began.

"_Silence!_" The King roared, stunning me into silence for a few moments.

"I can't believe it… After what you did, you have the nerve to accuse her of stealing from you!?" Lancer growled.

"I was actually starting to think you were a decent guy, despite your attitude. I guess I was wrong." Legolas sighed.

_what_

"I used to read about people like you. To think you would be summoned along with us… Disgusting." Kirito commented impassively.

I stood up straight, my face red with frustration. "I have no clue what _any _of you are fucking talking about. All I know is that my money was stolen last night and _she's _probably the one who took it! Can someone _please _explain to me what the _fuck _is happening!?"

My voice quickly rose until I could hear it reverberate along the walls of the hall. The other people besides us muttered unintelligibly. Myne, _safely _behind the _chivalrous Spear Hero_, began to cry. This did not go unnoticed by Lancer, who looked at me with rage in his eyes.

"_You bastard! I ought to kill you for what you've done-!_"

A hand on his shoulder stopped him from charging me. Legolas. "He's not worth it." He said solemnly.

Lancer grit his teeth but stayed put.

"I can hardly fault the Spear Hero for his behavior. However, we must keep level heads when dealing with scum such as yourself, _Shield Hero_. You are charged with the rape and battery of a woman, a capital offense that, if you were anyone else, would have you imprisoned or executed immediately." The King intoned.

_rape_

_EX-FUCKING-SCUSE ME_

My eyes turned slowly to Myne, cowering behind Lancer. If looks could kill…

"You're accusing me of raping you." I stated slowly, as if I couldn't believe it myself. It felt unreal, like a dream.

"We do not take accusations of this lightly, however, the evidence speaks for itself. And her story is easily proven. Myne," His eyes softened as he regarded the woman, his expression not unlike that of a compassionate father trying to comfort their child. "I understand if you feel uncomfortable with recounting your story. You need only-"

"N-No, Your Majesty…" Myne, dried tears on her cheeks, shook her head. "I'll… I'll do whatever it takes…"

_You'll do whatever it takes to what ruin my fucking life you WHORE_

She took a deep breath, before she started. "I-It was after we retired for the night, after planning for a trip to a nearby village. I was i-in my room getting changed for the night when the Shield Hero barged in. He was incredibly intoxicated, slurring his words, stumbling around… He-He pushed me d-down on the bed, t-tore off my n-nightgown and… and… and he-!"

_I HATE ALCOHOL I TOLD YOU YESTERDAY YOUIOHOLHNOILNKUKJBLHKVBLSKJKJLL_

Her story was interrupted by horrible sounding sobbing. I had to admit, it was a great performance.

Or I would have admitted it, if, at that moment, I hadn't have come to a decision.

I was going to murder this woman.

Somehow, somewhere, I would.

The mutterings from the people that surrounded us turned to ones of outrage, all aimed at me. Each one of their faces were twisted in righteous fury at something I never committed. All of them believed the lies of one woman.

For a split second, I lost my fragile self-control, and red overtook my vision as I let out a roar of pure rage. The guards who surrounded me put their spears up, keeping me firmly in one place. Before this, though, the arm that held my shield shot out and bashed one of them in the face, breaking his nose and causing him to scream in pain, holding onto his face as blood squeezed between his fingers. After that, the only thing that moved was my mouth.

"You _bitch!_" I shouted. "You absolute fucking _whore! _I should have known! I should have known it was too good to be true earlier! And now you're doing this fucking bullshit!? I should have ditched you on that field, or left you browsing in the goddamn shop, _anything_! But no, now I'm-"

"Say one more word, _Alex_, and I'll stab you where you stand!" Motoyasu interrupted my shouting monologue. The crowd seemed to agree with him.

"Execute the Shield Hero!"

"I knew something was wrong the moment I saw you!

"You should have never been summoned, monster!"

I threw my arms up. "Fucking do it then, dickhead! Save me the fucking trouble!"

"_For the last time, SILENCE!_" The King's voice boomed so loud I was surprised my ears weren't ringing. It had the intended affect. "In your room, we found Myne's torn nightgown, exactly as she described it." One of the guards nearby held a clearly torn nightgown, one which was not anywhere in my room when I first woke up.

_FABRICATED EVIDENCE_

_Entire trial is bogus, if this even was one_

"And the Spear Hero has personally vouched for Myne's credibility, as he was there when she reached out for help. There is no question in my mind that you have committed this terrible sin." The King finished.

I laughed. I actually fucking _laughed_. It was a humorless laugh, one devoid of any positive emotion. I was filled to the brim with murderous rage. My head was awash with no small amount of conspiracies. Was she planning this from the start? Accusing me of one of the worst things you can do to a person? Tearing down my life and the hopes I had? I had heard of things like this happening, but to have it happen to me… It felt _wrong_. My emotions were in an uproar. In that moment, I decided one thing. One thing that would haunt me forever.

_i don't care_

I had actually become so angry, so incredibly rage-filled, that I had come full circle. My heartbeat steadied, my breathing became less ragged. I felt calm.

And despite that, my head was filled with nothing but cold hate.

"He's actually laughing… Despicable." Kirito-Sasuke demeaned.

"Just when I thought a person couldn't get any lower…" Legolas deigned to speak to us lowly mortals.

"Tch… Bastard…" Motoyasu grumbled, still in front of a pretend-cowering Myne.

For a brief moment, I looked at her and, to my surprise, she looked at me.

Her expression broke, and for an instant, she pulled her bottom eyelid down, and stuck her tongue out at me.

It was at that moment that I lost all faith in people. If these people believed her, then there was no hope.

I turned away, my expression deceptively impassive despite the anger that still burned cold within me. "So… What are you going to do, _Your Majesty?_" I asked sarcastically. "Are you gonna put me in a cell? Are you going to execute me? Hey, I have an idea, how about you let me go home? I'm sick of this bullshit anyway. It would work out in all our favors wouldn't it?"

The King sighed, rubbing his forehead. "As much as I would like nothing more than to have you out of my sight and out of my Kingdom, I'm afraid I cannot simply do that."

"What!?" Motoyasu said, shocked. "What do you mean, Your Majesty?"

"While I could summon another Shield Hero, I would also, in turn, have to summon the other three again as well." He paused, sighing once more. "In other words, to get rid of one, I would have to get rid of you all."

That actually seemed to get to them, as Kirito and Legolas stared up with their mouths open like guppies. In my opinion, it didn't seem so bad. I could take them with me after all.

"I could imprison him, but that would be a complete waste. We would have to fight without a shield. In the end I can do nothing to you."

_You've done more than you can ever hope to realize King Cuckold_

"But heed my words, Shield Hero! Just because I can do nothing officially, doesn't mean that my people can't punish you in their own way. You will be an outcast, a cursed individual. You will never be completely safe and secure in our country's borders ever again. Once the waves are over and beaten, you will return to your world, and my Kingdom will be freed of a scourge like you. Now, get out of my castle." The King commanded.

_Either you are a tool or you are in on it. Neither of which are surprising to me in the slightest._

"Oh, don't worry, King, I wasn't planning on sticking around this hellhole. And you," I looked at Myne. "I don't know why you would do this, but you've just made an enemy for life. Now, since we're done with this shitshow, I think I'll go and do something more invigorating, like watching grass grow or paint dry. _So long, superstars."_

All I heard was the sound of people cursing me.

I turned to leave, the one soldier whose nose I'd broken glared at me while his fellows escorted me to the exit.

"Alex!"

Lancer ran forward, and grabbed my arm, staring at me defiantly.

I looked at him as one might regard an insect.

"Get the fuck off of me." I growled, tearing my arm from his grip easily. "You're a fucking tool, like the rest of them. Don't fucking come _near _me, understand? Or do I need to file a restraining order?" After a few seconds of silence, I scoffed. "Whatever, man. Hope you all burn."

I exited the castle quietly, with Lancer's eyes boring into the back of my head.

I always had problems trusting people, like I said. This incident, however, propelled me into a maelstrom of misanthropy that I never truly got out of. I walked into that castle a jaded, annoyed, but still somewhat hopeful individual. I left it a completely faithless, horribly jaded, hate-filled husk of what once was. All of the hope and dreams I had fostered in the back of my head, of hoping to be the hero that I always wanted to be, were completely destroyed and desiccated in less than a day. In the end, one man walked in the door, and a completely different man left.

In a way, it was game over for who I was. A final 'You died' for that hopeful part of me.

As I left the castle and met the gazes of people who had already decided their opinion of me based on the baseless, falsified assertions created by a corrupt monarch and the closest equivalent to a real witch I had ever met, I came to another decision. The people regarded me with fear, like I was a complete and utter monster who only lived to please his carnal desires and would take what little peace they had found for themselves in the world.

In the end, if they thought I was a monster, _I would give them a monster._

* * *

After a while, it began to rain. It soaked into my dirty and torn clothes and made me shiver. The small clinks inside the shield assured me I could buy clothes if I truly wanted to, but none of them would fit me.

The anger I felt may have lessened, but it never went away. I still hated every single person I walked by, and now I added to that list. There was a special place in hell for someone who showed such blatant stupidity in allowing this whole shitshow to happen. This fucker would burn if I had anything to say about it.

"Hey, kid." I gruff voice said to my right. I turned to it with a scowl.

The Shop Keeper, the one that I nicknamed Bob, glared back at me.

Despite my better judgement, or perhaps I really just did not give a fuck anymore, I walked towards him. A few seconds later, I found myself shoved against a wall, one fist gripping my shirt so tightly I was surprised it didn't tear off, while the other was held back in a fist, ready to smash into my skull like it was sent by an angry God.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't pummel you into the dirt for what you did to that girl, boy!" Bob growled menacingly.

While I was reasonably certain I could take on most people in this world in a straight up fight with fists, Bob was definitely one of the exceptions, especially in this scenario. The man was five and a half feet of pure muscle, and while I had a good deal of muscle on me too, I had my doubts.

Whatever my personal opinion on who could beat who in a street fight, I did nothing to resist.

Instead, I just stood there and stared him right in the eye.

"Do it, then." I said quietly. "Better yet, why don't you kill me? No one will give a shit if you do. Why don't you do me a favor and do it? Just punch me hard enough in the temple and I'll probably die eventually."

Bob the Shop Keeper simply looked at me for a couple more seconds, probably deciding where to dump my body, before he released me. "…You're gonna have it rough for a while, you know that, kid?"

"Oh, really? So you mean to tell me the glares and mutterings I heard all down the street _weren't _towards someone else? Shock horror! I had no idea!" I deadpanned.

"Yeah, yeah, at least you still have your sarcasm. I'll just be leaving now." Bob made to turn away, but I grabbed his arm. "What is it, kid?"

"You wouldn't happen to have anything that can… eh…" I looked down at my clothes. "Cover me up a bit more, would you?" I took a silver piece out of the shield. "I'll pay you as much as you want."

He looked me over before sighing. "I'll be right back. Stay here."

I stayed there for a few minutes, idly watching the rain make puddles in the uneven roads. In the end, I still felt _angry_, but it was that cold anger that could last for practically decades. Directed at everyone and everything.

And I would have to _defend _them if I ever wanted to go home…

_Or I could kill myself_

I shuffled that thought away. I wasn't going to head in that direction unless it was the only option.

_It is the only option. No one likes you, not even yourself. In fact, I think, despite everything, you hate yourself the most out of everyone in this entire Kingdom._

I shook my head, clearing those thoughts away, despite their truth.

"…Here, kid. This should work for now." Bob said as he apparently utilized his instant transmission ability out of fucking nowhere, causing me to jump slightly.

A dull, hooded green cloak. On anyone else, it would have been smothering. On me, however, it was quite comfortable, easily covering my entire form. I wondered how someone could use it unless they were my height.

I grunted, giving Bob the silver piece. "Thanks."

Bob let out a breath. "Take care of yourself, kid."

With the added benefit of my new cloak, I got through the rain a bit easier. However, despite this, I seemingly got lost on the roads of the town. I found shelter underneath an outcropping of a roof in-between two buildings. I could see the sun setting, as the light gray of the clouds in the sky quickly turned darker and darker.

I sat there for what felt like hours, cursing myself for not finding an inn, before realizing there was a good chance I would have been refused service on the basis of being a raping scumbag to these people.

And I was supposed to protect them so I could go home. Or I'd die trying. Dying seemed the more likely way.

I turned to my left to see a… _something _driving a cart down the road. I couldn't make out what they were saying; the rain was falling harder and faster than it was before, and I saw flashes of thunder here and there. However, before they completely passed me by, I saw something metallic fly out of the back of their cart and fall into a puddle.

Looking from left to right, to make sure no one else was nearby, I scampered forward and grabbed the object, holding it up to my eyes to inspect it.

It was a full-headed helmet. It covered the entirety of the face except for two eyeholes, and smaller holes were poked where I assumed the mouth was. The chin jutted out from the end of the helmet, while having a spike-like ending.

_dissociation _

The helmet was admittedly nothing special, but all the same, I wanted to put it on. See if it would fit.

_none of the things you do while w͠earing̛ thi̧s͢ ma͡s҉k ̸wil̛l͘ be̡ ̢yoú_

I hesitated for a moment, although I didn't know why.

_you will tell yourself that won'҉t́ ͡y̛ou_

Ultimately, I flipped the hood of my cloak back.

_but in the end that's w̡͠ha̧t̛ ͏you͏̛ ҉w̵̧a̧͜ń͠͠t̶̡ ̸i̸s͘͜n͜͢'͞ţ ̴̡i͘t_

The helmet fit snuggly, but it wasn't uncomfortable. I could see decently well through it.

i͟͞f̸͞ y͡o̵u̷̧͢ ͟h͜͡ate̸ ̢y̨o̷ur͏̧ş̵e̛l̀͟͝f͢ ̵͞s̷̸o̡̕ ́much̶, ̨́a̵̧n̡d w̷a̷̡̧n̸͞t̀ ̷t̡͘ò͘̕ ̨͘hu̡ŕ̨͡t ͝ý̡̕o̷ur̀͏s̸e̴̸l҉̢͏f̛ ̴͢e͘҉v̕҉e̵ǹ̷͡ m̴̕òŗ̛e̢,͞ ̴͞w͟h҉y ̨͢͢n͟͝o̶͜t̢͜ ͡͠b̡̧é͜c̸͟͝om̴̨͟e̵͟ ś͡o̢͡m̴͢e͏b̸͜͏ó͏͠dy͘͜͜ ̨̢͢e͜͢͢l͏s̡e

I pulled my hood over the helmet, completely shielding my eyes from sight in the shade it provided.

In the end, not a single living thing would see my face for weeks.

* * *

I breathed heavily, the helmet almost making me sound like a Sith Lord as I squashed another balloon, getting a measly 1+ EXP out of it.

Several days, and I was only Level 2.

_In the immortal words of Seymour Skinner, 'Pathetic'._

I couldn't keep this up forever. I needed somebody to fight for me, but I stood a snowball's chance in hell of finding someone who would do that willingly. Especially with the way I looked then.

I had taken to scavenging to find equipment. Rusty vambraces that could probably take a hit or two before breaking apart that still felt uncomfortable. Half of a chest-plate that was too small for me and already had several holes from previous encounters, and metal greaves that were quite possibly the most uncomfortable things in existence.

All in all, I looked like a rust knight with a shiny shield and scary looking helmet. Not the greatest face to ask people to join up with, and that was before being accused of rape and having the Shield.

All in all, it was pretty shitty.

Grumbling to myself, I picked up what I had gotten from the balloons and headed off to sell them.

I was going to save those last few pieces of silver, and the only way to do that was by getting change. Change I could use to buy food and a room and such.

_If only food didn't taste like ash in your mouth right_

* * *

"Ah, for all that, I'd give you… 1 copper." The merchant told me with a smug smirk.

I stared at him for several seconds, which seemed to unnerve him a bit.

"I just saw you give 30 copper for half of what I'm giving you now. Ya see, that just doesn't add up in my head, and it's pissing me off." I replied.

"Well, I have to make a living, right? And do you know how bad it would be if I treated you-"

I interrupted him by reaching over the counter and grabbing him by the shirt. "Here's the thing, asshole. I really don't give a fuck about how you need to make a living."

I released him, and he took several steps back, nearly hyperventilating with eyes as wide as dinnerplates. I jumped over the counter. I was inside with him, a man who bordered on 5'4 staring up at a six-foot giant. He was suitably intimidated.

"Now, I'm not asking for a discount, I'm just asking for a fair price, ya see? So, I'm gonna make this simple for you. You either give me the money I am owed, or I burn this entire shop down with _you inside it_." My voice was a low growl, further amplified by the helmet.

The shop keeper was shaking with fear. "P-Please S-Shield Hero! I-I have a family-!"

"Then if you don't agree with me, I guess I'll have to pay them a visit as well." I held my hand out, waiting for him to shake it. "_Do we have a deal?_"

The shop keeper gulped, weighing his options, before solemnly shaking my hand. "D-Deal… I'll give you 35 coppers for what you've brought me."

I nodded. "Good. Was that so hard?" I jumped back over the counter. "Oh, and feel free to spread that warning around, by the way. I'd just _hate _to have to do that over and over for every little fuck-up who thinks I will honestly accept 1 measly copper as payment for all the shit I bring them."

"Don't worry… I wasn't planning on keeping my mouth shut about this." The shop keeper grumbled, shooting me a glare filled with nothing but hate and fear. "Here's your money."

"Why _thank you_." I replied sarcastically. "For such a good deal, I'll be sure to return to this shop whenever I need to sell anything."

I chuckled darkly at the expression he made, all the while a part of me desperately wanted me to stop.

* * *

"Say, Shield Hero, whaddaya say we party up?" A large, for Melromarc anyway, man said, accompanied by two other men on each side.

I turned to him slowly, my seat at the bar where I was sitting, trying to figure out how to get somebody to fight with me, groaned underneath me.

_What a completely trustworthy individual_

I knew he was lying, but then again, there was not a single person in this world I could trust, so I suppose it all balanced out in the end. However, I wasn't going to let this opportunity for free shit pass me by.

"Oh? Really, you want to party up with me?" I asked, feigning shock.

"O'course!" He replied, laughing jovially. "Me'n my friends here are big fans o'yours! Always wanted to travel the world and fight nasties, ain't that right fellas!?"

"You said it bo- I mean, friend!" One of them said nervously.

_Oh they are so transparent it's almost funny. It's so cliché._

"Fair enough, I could always use the help." I said, getting up. "I'll go over my policies as we go. What say you gentlemen to a _walk?_"

"Fine with me, _boss!_" One of them said. "In fact, we were about to ask the same thing!"

I smirked behind the helmet.

It was in a dark alleyway when they finally made their move.

"Say, boss, aren't we gonna get some gear? We ain't exactly the most well-equipped adventurers, ya know!" One of them said mockingly.

"If you aren't then you should have bought some before you approached me. I can wait while you all buy your own equipment." I replied coldly.

I turned to them, waiting for one of them to make a move.

"I always thought the leader was 'sposed to pay for the gear." One of them, a bald one, said rudely.

"Unfortunately for you, I am not. Go buy your own."

"This is stupid. Just give us yer money, you lousy excuse for a hero!" The leader shouted, pulling a shortsword while the other two pulled out a dagger and axe respectively.

"Ah, doesn't it feel _good _to show your true colors?" I asked, mockingly taking in a deep breath. "And to think, we could have saved a long walk if you'd just done this in the first place. I wonder what you'll do next? Attack me? I don't have a lot of money if this is a mugging, ya know."

"Just give us yer money, and we'll all be on our way."

"Not gonna happen, Jesse James."

He looked hesitant for a moment before gritting his teeth and charging. "Then I guess we'll just have ta pry it off yer corpse!" He screamed.

_Could you sound any more like your average Bandit mook_

I stood in place as he charged, his two dumbass friends flanking him on either side, although they were disorganized. I used that to my advantage

He went for a quick stab to the gut.

He, unfortunately, didn't think I would parry him. I'd had a lot of practice on those balloons, so I got the timing at least partially right, his sword went to the side as my fist went straight to his face. I heard the sound of a nose breaking as he shouted and took several steps back, slumping against a wall, and his dumbass friend with the axe came up on my left.

Easily blocking his axe with my shield, I kicked him in the groin, causing him to double over, his axe clattering to the ground as he moaned and groaned in pain. He curled up into a ball on the floor.

The last one, the guy with the dagger, seemed to alternate between trying to run away and defend his beaten friends.

I didn't give him time to decide, as I grabbed the back of his jacket, and hauled him off his feet. Being tall as fuck and having an absurdly strong defense stat had its advantages. I threw him into a wall, watching as he fell to the floor limp.

My heart jumped in my chest as I thought I killed him, the smirk I had on my hidden face dropping slightly.

A small moan quickly assuaged that fear.

_I wonder why I still care about almost murdering people_

It was a good question. One I still didn't have the answer for.

"Jeez, that was pathetic. My attack stat is so low and all of you went down in one hit. Or maybe I just hit you all in the right areas. Whatever. Stealing yo shit now." I said in a sing-song voice, going through the pockets of my 'victims'.

They didn't have much, only a few coppers each, but it was good enough.

I was about to leave when I heard one of them speak up.

"You're… You're a monster." He grumbled. The one whose nose I had broken was slumped against a wall, looking at me with hatred. "An absolute monster."

"Says the one who tried to rob me." I replied acidly. "A little hypocritical of you, ain't it?"

"Not talkin' 'bout that, hero." He continued to say. "I ain't never touched a woman like you did. I ain't never threatened shop keepers like you did. I ain't never almost kill people before. Always just robbed them and on my way, and always those pompous rich type or scum like yerself. You… You're a monster, Shield Hero."

Something in me broke. The mask cracked.

It was different hearing it come from another person, I suppose

I was on him in an instant, pinning him to the ground in a whirlwind of primal fury. I punched him, knocking teeth out of his mouth. Letting out a roar of animalistic rage, I went off on him, punching him in the face until his eyes swelled shut and he had little in his mouth beyond broken teeth and blood. His face was red and blue. The shield made it a bit difficult, but my hands eventually settled around his throat.

"What the fuck do you know about me, huh!?" I shouted, spittle flying out of the small holes in my helmet. "_What the fuck do you know, faggot!? _I didn't ask to be here and do shit like this! Was perfectly fine just sitting in my room until you fucks summoned me here! All of you, every single one of you, this is your fault! You brought me here just to fucking _laugh at me_ didn't you!? _DIDN'T YOU!?_ Wanted to watch me break and fall apart! Well, I'll show you! I'll show you all! Do you understand me!? _DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME!?_"

At that point, he was gurgling and the hands that tried to pry my grip off his neck began to weaken. A brief moment of clarity, and I was off of him. He was gasping, but otherwise unmoving on the floor. I had very nearly killed a man. With my own two hands and not by accident

Unlike last time, I felt nothing but anger. Anger at the world and myself.

_How far you've fallen boyo_

After a few seconds of recovery from my breakdown, I turned to walk away from the horrid scene I had made, only to see a small, pudgy man walk out of an adjacent alley.

"Ah, Shield Hero, just the man I wanted to see!" He said, his voice sounding sinister.

I raised a brow at this man. "Who are you? A penguin?"

He looked like a penguin, with the way he waddled. A bit like the Batman villain, actually. He had a monocle, and he had this perpetual smirk on his face that honestly unnerved me.

"Ahaha! I had heard you had a sense of humor! But no, I am not whatever it is you called me. I suppose you could call me a dealer of sorts. And I would like to show you what I have to offer, if you're interested, of course!" He replied lightly.

I pondered that for a moment. He probably wanted to rob, just like the thugs before, to get me alone to try and murder/rob me. If so I was all for it. Worst case scenario I'd die. Or, he could be actually trying to sell something to me. Not sure if I'd be interested, I asked the million dollar question.

"What do you sell?" I asked.

Cut me some slack, I was coming off the high of a mental breakdown. It's not my fault I started sounding like Commander Shepard.

_Or don't I wouldn't blame you_

"I'm sure it would be easier to show you than simply tell you." The Penguin smiled eerily.

After a second's pause, I quietly nodded. "Lead the way, Penguin."

* * *

It wasn't long before we came upon something similar to a carnival tent. I was slightly put off by the anachronism at display, but I ignored it and followed him under the flap of said tent.

Cages, as far as the eye could see. Each one had something, or _someone_ in it.

_slavery _

"You sell slaves." I stated mildly.

Penguin made a popping sound with his mouth. "Precisely, Shield Hero! I sell the finest slaves in the city! Of course, slavery is only officially legal in regards to demi-humans, but that hasn't put a stop to profits."

"Ah, so not only is slavery legal, but there's also rampant racism I presume?" I asked, looking around at the cages that surrounded us as we walked.

"That's Melromarc for you, friend." Penguin replied.

"I am not your friend." I said sharply. "Now, why did you bring me here?"

He continued talking as we walked. "Ah, a direct man! I like that. Well, you see, I have many ears around the city, I suppose you could say. And I heard that the Shield Hero was having a tough time finding reliable and loyal comrades to help him in the coming Waves! A slave has a powerful seal on them, which prevents them from doing anything you tell them not to."

I nearly tripped.

"I sense that piqued your interest?" Penguin said slyly.

"Does it prevent them from lying?" I asked quickly.

He waved his hand. "If you order them not to, of course. It will send a painful shock through them every time they disobey you. Something I'm sure you will appreciate."

I was quiet for a few seconds. "…You know, the country I came from outlawed slavery 150 years ago. And yet, here I am, about to buy one for myself." I laughed humorlessly.

"It is rather ironic." Penguin agreed.

One part of me thought it was wrong. No, _knew _it was wrong. And yet, I found myself still going anyway, despite that little part of me who begged me to not do it.

If anything, that part of me's pleading made me more adamant to go through with it.

I looked at Penguin. "Show me what you have."

The Penguin's beady eyes sparkled. "Excellent! This one right here is one of the best I own, allow me to show you!"

He pulled the tarp off of one of the biggest cages I'd ever seen, revealing a snarling mass of muscle that barely resembled a human. I couldn't even see its level.

In other words, I probably wouldn't be able to afford it.

"You know, when I was thinking of the word 'demi-human' I wasn't thinking about this." I mumbled.

"Demi-humans come in all shapes in size, my friend. Ranging from near-human to more monster than man, as you can see!" Penguin helpfully informed me.

I nodded, holding a hand up to the chin of my helmet in a thinking pose. "How much?"

"100 gold coins!" Penguin replied.

I stared at him blankly. "You showed me your best even though I can't buy it?"

"Think of it as an investment." Penguin explained. "If you're pleased with what you buy now, you may come back later with the money to buy this one!"

"An interesting tactic to be sure," I said distractedly, looking over at one of the smaller cages, hearing sniffling coming from inside. I walked over to it, my footsteps suddenly a lot louder than they were before.

I pulled the tarp over.

_So this is what he meant by 'near-human'_

A little girl, with animal ears and a bushy tail sat inside, her pinkish-red eyes dull. She wore nothing but rags.

"Ah, that one is a sad case." Penguin said, coming up behind me. "Her previous master beat her relentlessly. She has a sickness and I'm beginning to think she may have some sort of brain damage. I doubt she'll last much longer honestly."

I thought for a moment, looking at the girl. If what Penguin said was true, then she was probably cheap as well. And while this young, I could turn her in whatever direction I wanted. A sword-wielding warrior? A bow user? I could do anything.

A part of me was still disgusted I was doing this. I ignored it.

"How much for her?" I asked.

"15 copper coins." Penguin replied.

The girl looked up, her eyes focusing on me, and widening in what I could only assume to be fear.

"You've got a deal, Penguin." I said.

"Ah, if you must refer to me, I would be much more comfortable with you calling me Beloukas. It is my name, after all!" Penguin said quickly.

I looked at him blankly for a moment. "Whatever you say, Penguin."

I turned back to the girl, only to see her face stricken with anxiety and fear.

This was the day things began to turn around. I said once that I was paranoid, that I had a habit of misanthropy even before Myne's accusation, and that it probably kept me away from unpleasantness earlier in my life. I also said it kept me away from pleasant situations as well.

This was one of the few times that it didn't.

After this day, things would never be the same ever again.

* * *

_**And that's a wrap. Don't expect chapters to come out this quickly again unless I'm possessed by an actual demon. If that does happen, call an exorcist.**_

_**So yeah, Raphtalia has been introduced, in her loli form, and Alex spirals into a vortex of self-hatred and spite. He's also a lot more physical than our original hero. A difference I really didn't start noticing until I'd already typed the scenes out.**_

_**Hopefully you all enjoyed it! I don't know when the next chapter will be released, but let's hope it's as good as the past few have been, yeah?**_


	4. Rusted Hopes

_**Been a hot-minute hasn't it! Hopefully you all like this chapter. If not, well, things will diverge shortly enough. I promise you. They begin to even here, if you notice smaller details.**_

_**Trust me, this story will be unrecognizable compared to the real thing soon enough.**_

* * *

"U-Um… M-Master…"

"Please, for the love of _God_, do not call me that." I said sternly, turning to stare at the raccoon demi-human trailing behind me.

Her name was Raphtalia, which seemed like a strange name, but then I realized I was buying a demi-human slave child to fight for me in another world and suddenly it didn't seem so weird. Once I had time to think clearly, I realized the decision was a bit hasty, considering she was a child. Yeah, I _could _mold her into whatever class I wanted, but how long would it be until she could use those skills? Years? A decade? I wasn't sticking around for that long, certainly. The Slaver, however, assuaged my fears.

* * *

"_Ah, that should not be a problem, my friend." Penguin said calmly._

"_Why's that?" I asked, eyebrow raised behind my helmet._

_He flashed a creepy smile. "Demi-humans age differently than humans, of course! The higher a demi-humans level, the more mature their body becomes. A survival strategy to live in the cruel world out there, I'm sure!"_

_My mind flashed with several scenarios that could come from this new information._

"…_Okay, I wasn't going to say anything, but that seriously sounds like an excuse to say to a police officer: 'Oh no, Mr. Officer! See, these people age differently than us!'_

* * *

_I still find that weird_

Whatever my personal opinion on it, it lended some credence to the prospect of molding her into whatever I wanted, at least. I wondered just what the fuck I was thinking back then.

In the end, I bought her, and now she was keeping behind the scary man with the cool-as-fuck helmet. Smart girl.

Or incredibly stupid. Depends on who you ask, really.

She was nothing but skin and bones, so I saw fit to at least get some food into her before I did anything else. I had successfully threatened all the restaurants/inns into serving lest I burn everything they know and love into the ground, so it wouldn't be a problem to find someplace to eat.

In the end, I settled on some no-name place with a sign at the front that I couldn't read because isekai logic.

A sign that Raphtalia was in front of and looking at with an expression of apprehension.

"What're you waiting for, Raph? Come in. The doorframe will not kill you, _I promise_."

"B-But the sign says-!"

"Unless the sign has convenient directions to the nearest interdimensional portal, I don't care what it says. Get in here." I ordered, irritated.

She bowed her head, defeated. She entered and took a seat right across from me. It took several moments, but a - waiter? Server? I wasn't entirely sure what to call him. – begrudgingly approached us.

"…Sir, this establishment does not serve demi-humans." He informed me.

"Oh? Interesting. Now, I think I'll get-"

"Sir, the sign outside specifically said this. Are you unable to read?" The waiter bastard said rudely.

"Keep saying shit like that, junior, and I'll use that sign to plow your mother." I snapped back. "Now, do I have to burn your entire world to get food or are you going to let me pay for it? Honestly could go either way right now. Your choice, mate."

The server's face went red, but after taking a deep breath and wisely letting it go, he asked the one question I wanted to hear. "What do you want?"

"A world where people aren't absolute fucking idiots, but for today I'll take the standard lunch, as well as a children's lunch for her, if you'd be _so _kind." I answered, Raphtalia's raccoon ears perking up as I said this.

The waiter/server nodded stiffly before shuffling away.

"Y-You're… going to feed me?" Raphtalia asked shakily.

_Who the fuck owned you beforehand and what did he do to you to make you ask that question_

I leaned back, eyeing her from behind my helmet. "Well, I'm not gonna spoon-feed you, if that's what you're asking, but I'm not gonna starve you. That'd be a waste of money and resources. Need you in tip-top shape if you're gonna start carving shit up with a sword… or in this case a dagger considering how small you are…" I trailed off as I started to think.

I had decided on making her a swordswoman, or a Knight? I wasn't entirely sure what her class would be called, considering I barely touched the interface that constantly hugged the edges of my peripheral vision. In a way, it unnerved me, but I'd long grown used to it at that point.

In any case, yeah, she would be using a sword, and hopefully she'd get pretty good at it in a short amount of time, considering we had less than a month until the Wave came around. Worst case scenario? I died. Best case? I'd be one step closer to going home and away from the medieval stasis hellhole. Either would've gotten me out.

"I-I'm going to have to… f-fight?" Raphtalia asked weakly. "N-Nothing else?"

"I mean, you can do whatever you want in your free time, of course, but I'll need you to fight for me, yeah. There's only so much I can do besides hitting people really hard, and something tells me if I hit a dragon all I'd be doing is pissing it off." I replied, watching as the waiter/server came closer with two trays of food. "Thar she blows, Raph. Have at it."

Raphtalia looked up to see the visibly disgusted waiter/server put down the food and scarper off after taking the coppers I gave to him. Her eyes _actually sparkled _as she looked down at the food, as if it was the most glorious thing she had ever seen.

_seriously who the fuck owned you before me and where do they live it be house burnin time bitches_

It became slightly awkward when all she did was stare at it as if there was an invisible wall around it.

"…Well, are you gonna eat or not?" I asked, eyebrow raised behind the helmet.

She looked up, her eyes pleading. "C-Can I!?"

"No, you can't." I shook my head dramatically. "I bought two for me and just placed the second tray in front of you to taunt you- _Of course_ you can eat it, and please don't ask every time I do something like this because it will get… well, really annoying. Have at it, squirt." I finished my long, sarcastic ramble just as it looked like she was about to try pawing at the inexplicable wall she seemed to think I had casted.

She bit down into her meal with gusto as I carefully lifted a portion of my helmet, careful to not reveal too much as shoveled the food in front of me into my mouth.

I tensed slightly when I felt growing facial hair on my chin but ignored it.

_It still tastes like ash_

Ever since that day all food lost flavor, and the world seemed just that much darker and grittier. To be fair, I knew that it was likely this world wasn't as friendly as it appeared on the surface, and it didn't even look that friendly before the _betrayal_. I never thought they would be so boneheaded though, more so than the people in power of my own world.

I knew I was coming off as pretentious, but I didn't care. In the back of my mind I still raged every time I saw someone look at me the way almost everyone did. My hatred for people only festered, and my hatred for a particular handful of people was so bright and powerful it could block out the sun and power nuclear reactors.

_the whore the lancer the archer the swordsman the KING y̴͞o͝͝u͘͝r̢s͡e҉͜l̴̛f̀_

I held onto the anger and hate, the only things that made me _feel_, really.

But in the end, food still tasted like ash in my mouth.

* * *

In the end, I decided to buy Raphtalia a weapon at the only weapon store I actually liked, that being the one owned by Bob. It certainly helped that he seemed to be the only store owner that didn't give me attitude or attempt to overcharge me because they thought they were hot shit.

He still looked incredibly unimpressed when looking at the slave crest that adorned Raphtalia's chest.

"A slave… You've hit a new low, haven't ya, kid?" Bob murmured sadly.

"I'm desperate. Sue me." I mumbled. "Not like you'll fight for me, will you? Gotta kill shit somehow."

He sighed, shaking his head before looking back up. "What do you need, kid?"

"Eh…" I stopped, looking down at the small demi-human beside me, judging which weapon would be best for her. I had decided on a dagger earlier that day, but now that I had gotten a good look at the selection available to me…

"I'll need a shortsword for the little miss," I finally answered, folding my arms. "Preferably the most affordable one, since I'm sure she won't be using it for long."

Bob nodded, before turning around and rummaging beneath the counter, before pulling out a shortsword and placing it on the counter. "It'll be about 10 silver, kid."

"Yeah, yeah, gimme a sec…" I said, pulling out several silver coins from behind my shield. "Oh, and she'll need some clothes too, I think. Or some armor. Anything but those rags, yeah?"

Bob looked at me mildly. "…At least you treat her well."

"It'd be a waste of money if I didn't." I insisted.

"Are you trying to convince me or yourself of that, kid?"

"Good question!" I exclaimed. "Now, clothes?"

Bob nodded and knelt before Raphtalia who now held the shortsword in her hands, looking at it curiously. He led her to a small section of the store with a curtain.

I waited outside with my thoughts.

* * *

We were on a ruined path, with several crumbling walls and broken bricks beside it basking in the sunlight, when she finally said something again.

"You… You're the Shield Hero, right?" Raphtalia asked slowly.

I didn't turn around or stop. "Yeah, I am. The shield clue you in?"

She seemed to mumble something I couldn't quite hear, before I heard the first sob.

I turned around then to see her clutching the shortsword I'd bought for her to her chest as her knees buckled, before finally collapsing to the ground. I stood there, emotionlessly, for several seconds as she spoke between hiccups and sobs.

"I-I don't d-deserve to b-be here!" She cried, the tears streaming down her face. "N-Not in her p-place! I-I can't f-fight, I-I'm too… too…"

I walked up to her and knelt to her level, the black eyes of the mask burning a hole into her. She recoiled slightly when I lifted my hand up.

Only to look up at me in confusion when I ruffled her hair.

_Head pats are always nice_

I know it looked like I was being nice to her, that I was comforting her in a moment of weakness. Rest assured this was not the case. I was simply making sure her mental health didn't deteriorate. A broken sword, while not entirely useless, was less effective than a whole one, after all.

I assured myself of my intentions as I continued.

"Listen very carefully to what I'm about to say, okay Raph?" I tried to say as comfortingly as I could, which was difficult considering the helmet. "I'm not gonna pull any punches: you're weak. You're very weak. Not very far from death in some ways. However, believe me when I say this: One day, you won't be.

"I'm not entirely sure who you're talking about, but just by the simple fact you are able to get up and walk beside me into the fire, without me even having to use the slave crest, says a lot about you. The world is full of people who will want to bring you down and tear you apart. The trick is to not let them, to get strong enough to beat them back. No matter what you think, no matter what anyone says, you are worthy of standing beside me if you believe in that."

It wasn't the best motivational speech, considering I didn't know who 'her' was, so I couldn't use that for leverage very well, and I was clumsy even by my standards. Still, it seemed to have the intended effect as she looked at me with a new light in her eyes. A new fire, if you will.

Good. The slave crest was gonna be used as a last resort, after all. Inflicting pain like that wasn't really my style anyway. And it'd be a time waster if she got cold feet in a battle.

"You r-really think I can do it? F-Fight and be by your s-side and get strong?" She sniffled.

Despite my _obvious _intentions, I smiled behind the helmet. "I _know_ so, squirt."

She dragged her arm across her eyes, wiping away the tears as she seemed to walk a bit steadier than before.

I turned around and began walking again. I tensed slightly when I felt a tiny hand grab my own.

Despite my best efforts, I could not come up with an explanation for why I held her hand back.

* * *

**Alexander Grant, the Shield Hero**

**LVL: 5**

**HP: 150**

**MP: 100**

**Raphtalia**

**LVL: 4**

**HP: 65 (-10)**

**MP: 50 (-10)**

**Affliction: Common Cold (Potentially Fatal)**

* * *

My eye twitched as I read our Status. Once I had decided to finally go through the interface that surrounded my vision at almost all times, I had found a few helpful things, such as the Status Page. I had gained several levels since buying Raphtalia, and she had as well, at a faster pace than I. I wasn't really worried about that, though. She was the one who was supposed to deal damage, with me being the support, and my defense was frankly ridiculous.

What got to me was the 'affliction' underneath her name. A simple cold was dangerous to her. It was perhaps a good thing that I had bought medicine after Penguin sold her to me, just in case.

It had only been a couple days since I'd bought her, and she had proven to be a naturally-born and capable, if amateurish, fighter. I could've found a teacher, but I doubted I would've found anyone who would willingly teach a demi-human and a disgraced hero.

It was up there with world peace and Half-Life 2 getting a sequel in being impossible.

_i just made a Half-Life 3 joke fucking fight me_

So you could see why I was reluctant to let her succumb to a cold. When we were getting ready for bed in an inn, I decided to give it to her. Right after she was done with a coughing fit.

When I thought about it, I really should have given it to her sooner. Just because I was giving her good food for a few days doesn't mean her weakness would go away just like that.

"Raph, here." I said, handing her the bottle. "It'll make you feel better."

I did this because I needed her to fight for me. No other reason.

She looked at the bottle quizzically, before popping the top off and gulping down the contents.

Her face almost went green as she tried to force it down, before slamming the bottle down and coughing again.

"Tastes awful, doesn't it?" I asked, smirking slightly.

She nodded, her tongue hanging out of her mouth slightly as she eyed the bottle suspiciously.

"Wasn't lying when I said it would make you feel better, Raph. Make sure you drink it all before bed." I paused, thinking of what I should say next. "You're no use to me dead."

She pouted a little. "Master…"

"Please, _please _stop calling me that. It makes me feel… _unclean_." I hissed between my teeth. "Just call me Alex or something. It's what everyone else called me back home."

I felt a twinge of nostalgia at that, but she couldn't see my facial expression, so I allowed it to pass unnoticed.

Raphtalia looked down, apparently deep in thought, before laying down gently on the bed. "Good night…"

"Yeah," I replied. "Good night."

I watched the slow, rhythmic rise and fall of her tiny body, fast asleep, before I even dared to take off the helmet for bed. I insured I woke before she did to put it back on.

* * *

Every single decision we make leads us to where we are. Every action, every triumph, and _especially _our failures.

I can tell you're getting tired of my pseudo-intellectual bullshit, so allow me to explain what happened. We were in front of a prison.

By choice I swear.

"Lord Alex… What are we doing?" The little raccoon at my side asked curiously.

"We are going to peruse our potential future companions." I informed her wisely.

She looked unimpressed. "At a prison?"

I looked up at the gray stone building in front of us, with it's menacing architecture that seemed to scream 'don't come near here you toilet brush'.

Unfortunately for the building, I didn't give a fuck about warnings. Not anymore anyway.

I looked down at Raphtalia. Other than having a bit more meat on her bones, she didn't seem all that different. Then again, she was only Level 10.

"Yes." I said flatly.

She gave me the _look_. "Lord Alex!"

That was one thing that had changed, though. Her calling me 'Lord Alex'. Funny story behind that one, actually. Literally the day after I had given her the medicine, two days before we stood in front of the dungeon, she started calling me it, during a… well, let's call it a 'messy' situation. It was the only time I had ever had to use the slave crest on Raphtalia, and honestly, it made me feel like an absolute bastard, like, more than usual.

* * *

'_I'll show you a monster' I thought, right? So much for that if I can't even be ruthless._

_The grass was practically caked in blood as the body of the weird bunny-hybrid thing fell to the ground with a 'thump', blood leaking out of the stab wound Raphtalia had so graciously put in it after some convincing from the slave crest._

_She stood there, hyperventilating with blood covering her clothes and hair, the shortsword she held in her hands shaking along with the rest of her body. A side affect of the slave crest's magic, I was sure._

"_Please…!" She murmured desperately. "Please, don't leave me behind, Lord Alex!"_

_It looked like a scene out of a horror movie. I stared at the slave crest that was barely visible on her chest distrustfully. _

_It was then that I knew I didn't like it._

* * *

What an experience that was. I shook those thoughts off, ready to do some negotiations with the rowdy people of the prison we found ourselves in front of.

If we could've found a teacher for Raph in there, it would've been amazing. Or another disgraced party member. Either way, we were getting in there. Hopefully they were decently high level.

_You're only level 9 boyo and Raph's level 10_

Apparently, the prison/dungeon was having an off day, as there was only one guard at the entrance. Looked like one of those younger recruits too, based on his wary expression. Low level but extremely alert.

I looked down at the shield on my left hand, willing the interface to come out. Several shields stared at me.

Turns out, if you 'feed' the gem in the middle of the shield, you can turn it into different forms. I chose one that I was sure would help me in this unfortunate situation.

**Sleep Shield**

The shield glowed brightly for a few seconds before settling on its new form: an eye-shaped, gray hunk of metal. All I had to do to get this shield was feed it some herbs that helped you sleep. It could knock anyone out who was below my level if I smacked them with it.

_Sorry Mr. Guard boi today's not your day_

"Stay behind me, Raph." I ordered, sauntering over to the guard.

Raphtalia still looked both uneasy and unimpressed, but she followed anyway.

The guard noticed us approaching, and his eyes narrowed when he saw the shield on my arm.

"What is your business here, Shield Hero?" He asked curtly. "If you have come to turn yourself in, we would gladly let you in."

"What an impressive display. I am shaking in my boots. Raph, tell my family I love- Okay, that's enough of that." I whacked the guard across the face. Oddly enough, there was no sound, and the guard slumped to the ground with not even a bruise. In fact, he looked like he was soundly sleeping on the ground.

I looked at the shield. "Well, that's creepy as hell."

"W-What did you do to him!?" Raphtalia gasped.

"Gave him enough Valium to break the universe, apparently." I replied dryly, taking the keys from his belt. "Now, let's get to perusing, shall we?"

"Lord Alex, I don't think any of these people want to join us…" Raphtalia murmured, looking at the many cells that extended before us, many of them containing men, alongside maybe a handful of women.

When they saw the shield, they all shrunk back to the corner of their cells, eyes nearly bulging out of their sockets as they eyed both my shield and the keys jangling in my hand.

"Well, I mean, there are still a lot of cells left." I replied hopefully, although said hope didn't reach my eyes. Not that anyone could see that. "This'll be a fucking shit show if I can't find anyone. Really hope those guards just think they all had a dream… Bah, it'll be fine. Come along, Raph. Just a few more cells to go."

We went by one cell with any absolutely fucking _massive thing _inside of it, that instantly ran up to the bars and banged on them when it saw us.

"Give me your child!" It howled, saliva falling to the floor like a waterfall. "_Give me your child!_"

"Leave my raccoon daughter alone, beast!" I shouted in a pseudo-british accent for shits and giggles.

Right, insane demi-human scratched off the list. Sure Raphtalia was glad to hear that, considering how hard she was shaking just looking at the fucking monster. Either way, we stopped at the last cell of the… block? I wasn't sure what to call it.

A woman with blonde hair and blue eyes, wearing comparatively better rags than the others, stared at me with narrowed pupils.

"Who are you?" She demanded with a voice filled with conviction.

_Teacher and squadmat D_

"Alexander Grant," I replied, doing a mock-bow. "The Shield Hero, and this is Raphtalia. Pleasure to make your acquaintance…?"

She looked at Raphtalia, still shaking beside me, and stared at me judgingly when I said I was the Shield Hero, but I expected that. "My name is Eclair Seaetto, Kni- _former _Knight-in-Training of Melromarc. What business does the disgraced Shield Hero have in this prison? Unless you have come to turn yourself in."

"I was expecting you to say 'have you come to ravage me' but thank fuck you didn't. Anyway, I need you." I replied quickly.

She raised an impossibly well-trimmed eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

"Not in _that _way obviously, but you see… well, you are obviously familiar with my reputation."

She nodded.

"Safe to say it's bullshit, but no one believes me. So I have this cute little demi-human to fight for me. Thing is, though, she's basically an amateur, and I need someone to help teach her and fight alongside me, ya know, safety in numbers and all that jazz. Of course, I'd have to get you out of this cell first, but-"

"I refuse."

"Well, fucking hell, that didn't take long." I sighed. "Any reason why? Besides the whole false rape thing."

"I have my suspicions about that, Shield Hero, considering who accused you. This country was never fond of the Shield Hero or demi-humans in general. However, I choose to abide by this country's laws, and will not willingly escape unlawfully." She explained.

I raised a hand to the pointy chin of my helmet. "So, the Lawful Good type it is, huh? Honor and shit like that?" She nodded. "Let's say I get you out, then. Lawfully. Would you join me?"

"I suppose I would be in your debt were that to happen." She replied.

"Uh huh." I hummed. "I'll take that as a yes then."

"Be warned, I doubt we will be able to converse like this again." She said quickly. "Soon, I will be transferred to the dungeons of the castle itself. I doubt you will be able to get in there the same way you got in here."

"Well shit." I sighed. "This became a little more complicated then, but not unmanageable. I guess I'll leave then. That offer is still on the table?"

"Of course." She said, her hands folded on her lap.

"Right." I grunted. "Better than nothing, I suppose. Let's get outta here before the guards wake up, Raph."

Raphtalia nodded, staring at Eclair. We were out before anyone had woken up.

* * *

A couple days after that illuminating conversation and I was still thinking about some of the things Clair (I refused to call her Eclair on the basis that she had done nothing to piss me off yet) had said to me. 'This country was never fond of the Shield Hero or demi-humans.' she'd told me.

_if only you could read boyo_

I may have been able to have context or some meaning to what she'd said. But until that happened, I was left wandering in the dark.

On the plus side, Raph and I were level 11 and 10 respectively. Our coin purse was getting rather light, though, so there I stood, in front of a billboard. Filled with wanted posters.

Well, I said wanted posters, but I mean Kill Orders. Mostly for literal beasts that wandered the countryside. There were no shortages of those in the shithole that was Melromarc.

Raphtalia bounced a strange orange ball nearby like a basketball, a content smile on her face.

I looked away from her. I'd bought that ball because she saw other children playing with it and had that _look _on her face. You know the one. Where you could obviously tell they wanted one but were too polite or nervous to ask for it. Got her one just a moment later. Morale was important after all.

I ignored the way my chest warmed when I saw the look on her face.

"Lord Alex, what are you looking at?" Raph asked curiously, once she noticed how still I was standing.

"I'm trying to burn a whole into this board, obviously." I replied sarcastically, which made her pout. "Really, though, looking for a job that'll keep us fed for a while. Which is looking a little difficult right now- No, wait! Found one." I pulled a poster from the board. It was for a monster that had killed some people near a place called Lute Village. Dog-like in appearance and rather bloodthirsty, if the bounty were true.

I was actually surprised the three stooges didn't get to it first. Than again, I hadn't heard anything from them since I left the castle that day.

_probably for the best you'd strangle them if you could_

_Damn right I would_

"Well, I guess we'd better get to travelling then." I said, motioning for Raphtalia to follow me. "Let's go."

"Yes, Lord Alex!" She replied, surprisingly cheerful.

* * *

The journey to Lute Village was a long, if uneventful one. Only a few degenerate animals attacked us on the way, which were easily killed.

Speaking about animals, the fucking wild life in Melromarc was on some super drug or some shit, because they were all screwed up and weird looking. Just like that weird rabbit-hybrid back then.

This medieval-stasis world was looking more and more _grimdark _by the day. Slavery, _child slavery_, monsters running rampant in the forests and, in some cases, the very towns, and corrupt politics.

The hypocrisy of these people astounded me.

Then again, people in general were the scum of the earth, including me, so I shouldn't have been surprised.

Except Raph. Raph was good civilization.

We made it to Lute Village with little fanfare. People around there didn't seem to know much about what the Shield Hero looked like, although they knew of his 'crimes', so I opted to disguise my shield as a rope.

As in, I had a **Rope Shield**. I'd taken to just feeding the damn thing anything I could find, and I would get a new shield out of it. I decided, once we were back in the capitol, to see if I could feed it _other _shields, or maybe even weapons, and see what happened.

Back on track though, Lute Village itself was nothing special. Typical homes with a town center in the middle. Dirt trails. They actually looked pretty poor, in all honesty. Whatever. That wasn't what I was there for.

I asked around, see if anyone had seen anything resembling the monster I had to go out and kill. People were a bit put off by how my mask seemed to glare at them, but I was able to get a general location of the monsters hunting grounds after a few failed attempts.

We left the next morning in rather high spirits.

* * *

Those high spirits were rather dampened when it started to rain. The armor, or scraps of armor I'd taken to wearing, were already rusted, and were actually almost falling apart, so it didn't affect me much. Then again, weather never really affected me much back home either. Raphtalia, on the other hand, struggled to keep up as the ground turned to mush beneath us.

"Here, get underneath here." I said, holding open my cloak for her to huddle under.

"L-Lord Alex!?" She squeaked.

"Just do it. You're not getting sick _again_." I drawled.

She hesitated for a moment, before gladly snuggling into the cloak, sheltering her from the rain.

I sighed, looking around and seeing nothing but forest.

It wasn't looking good in all honesty. I'd taken this job for two reasons. One, for the income, and two, the leveling. We'd do both simultaneously. It may not have been as rewarding as simply becoming a merchant, or a trader, but me and Raph needed to be stronger to take on the wave that was probably dangerously close at that point.

In a way, my own selfishness and need for power got us into this mess: Lost and stuck in the rain in unfamiliar terrain.

It was stupid of me. It was my mistake.

I looked down at the slightly shivering demi-human cuddling my cloak like a safety blanket.

If it ever came to it, I'd rather she make it out more than I. We'd both win, in that scenario. I'd be dead, free from this hellhole, while she'd be free of me. A complete win-win, in my honest opinion.

A bolt of lightning surged from the clouds above, causing me to flinch and for Raphtalia to whimper. A few seconds later, the trees vibrated with the 'boom' that followed.

It was so loud, it almost drowned out the snarling I heard from nearby.

I turned so quickly my crumbling armor groaned from the strain. Two sets of glowing blood-red pits instead of eyes stared at us from the undergrowth. My eyes widened as the Shield turned into its default form.

The creature stood up, apparently having been laying down, staring at us almost the entire time. Two heads, along with a long neck almost like a giraffe. Rippling muscle underneath its gray, nearly hairless skin made me feel incredibly uncomfortable. Sharp, white teeth nearly too big to fit into its two gaping maws made me shiver.

All in all, it was like looking at a nightmare. Another bolt of lightning fell from the sky, illuminating us in its blue glow for just a moment. I glanced down at Raphtalia for just a moment, before the beast charged.

She was completely frozen, staring at the dog-mutant with wide eyes filled with tears. Muttering 'no' several times.

It honestly reminded me of a night, just a day after I bought her.

* * *

_I was tinkering with the Shield when it happened. Raphtalia awoke screaming about some sort of monster, and how she didn't want her parents to leave her. _

_The night was young, the moon shining through the window of our room._

"_Raph! Raph, it's okay! You're safe! It's okay…!" I said forcefully, pulling her into a hug until all I heard was whimpering and sniveling. She hugged onto me so tightly I thought she'd actually break my spine._

_I had to do this, I told myself. A broken sword is near-useless._

* * *

The dog-mutant charged. Its claws paving a way towards us through the muck and dirt, the sound of rain and thunder and its ungodly footsteps were all I heard for several moments.

When it was right on top of us, I pushed Raphtalia back, sending her sprawling to the wet ground with a yelp. Gritting my teeth, I held the shield up, successfully blocking the attack of one of the heads, which proceeded to try and chew its way through the near-impenetrable Shield.

The other head was unaccounted for, until I felt sharp fangs puncture through my shoulder blade.

The pain was _indescribable_.

"_Gah-Hggkh!_ _God damn you!_" I snarled, making sure the dog-mutant couldn't tumble me over like a turtle and, by God, it was trying. I took a look at its level.

**Level 15**

Its level was higher than ours, but still beatable. Especially if Raph-

She was doing nothing, merely sitting back, looking at me and the dog-mutant with wide, terrified eyes.

"_Raph!_" I shouted. "_Do something, for fuck's sake! I can't hold this thing back forever!_"

"I-I-I…! I c-can't…!" She tried to get to her feet, but merely stumbled and then was knelt just behind me. "It-it looks like…!"

_It's your fault_

_You shoulda known boyo_

It was my fault we were in this mess. I should be the one to take responsibility, not her. If I could die so she could escape, at least I could say I did one heroic thing while alive. Just like I always wanted, huh?

_so be it_

"Raph… it's okay." I said, as calmly as I could with the fucking dagger-like teeth embedding themselves in my shoulder, the glowing red eye of the dog mutant staring heatedly at me. "Just run, okay? I'll hold this thing off for as long as I can, just run as far as you can. You're stronger than you were when I first met you, I know you can make it out there, or at least try to. Run!"

She looked at me as if I'd just slapped her. She got up to her feet fully, her hand poised on the shortsword on her hip. "L-Lord Alex! I c-can't leave you here!"

"You can and you will if you want to live!" I shouted. "Trust me, it's better this way!"

_Who knew I was such a death-seeker_

I heard the unsheathing of a sword behind me as Raphtalia seemingly found her courage. "I'll never leave you, Lord Alex!" She screamed, running forward. "I don't want anyone I care about to leave me ever again!"

_you actually care about me what_

She slashed at one of the dog-mutant's legs, causing it to stumble, before plunging the sword into its chest, giving it a quick death. It released its grip on my shoulder, and slumped to the floor in a heap. I got a level-up indication a moment later, though I ignored it.

That was unexpected.

The rain slackened a bit as Raphtalia stood there, bloody and wet. I limped over to her position, my shoulder protesting every step of the way.

"Damn… Damn good work there, kid." I praised her, as she looked up at me with watery red eyes. "Damn good work. I'm proud of you."

_Guess I'm not paying for my mistakes today_

Fresh tears fell from her eyes as her sword fell to the ground, and she hugged me around my waist. The rain nearly stopped.

I patted her head, making sure to get behind the ears, and her tail slightly wagged behind her.

The rain stopped.

_**So how was that? I have a bit of a problem with the whole 'interface' thing. Honestly, I hate series that rely on gamey shit like stats and interfaces and all that crap, with Shield Hero obviously being an exception. In that instance, however, I think Shield Hero is good in-spite of its game elements rather than because of them. Don't expect there to be a lot of stuff like that, and when they do show up, don't expect them to be very accurate or consistent, because they honestly make me angry looking at them.**_

_**Now that that's out of the way, I have something for ya. A theme for Alex, if you will. I used to do this with Redux back in the day, but stopped because no one seemed to give a fuck except for a select few. In this instance, however, it simply fits Alex too much for me not to mention. So, here it is. Imagine this a ALex's motif:**_

_**Dark Piano - Hate | Dark Church Organ Version by Lucas King**_

_**Is it edgy? Hell the fuck yes. It's why I chose it. Especially fits well with Chapter 3's tone, if you ask me.**_

_**Well, with that out of the way, hope you enjoyed and see you next time!**_


	5. Cancelled

**Well, this is awkward. In fact, I think this is the earliest I've ever cancelled a fic this early on in my entire fanfic career. Usually I get past the 100k word count mark before calling it quits but this story has well and truly run its course.**

**I guess I'll go ahead and list the problems I have with it, shall we?**

**The Gamer mechanics honestly kill it for me. Even if I try my best I can't just ignore them as they are an integral part of what the Shield Hero world is, and honestly its genuinely frustrating trying to find a way to navigate around it.**

**A lot of people in the reviews pointed this out, but not much has changed, and honestly, even though I kept saying it, not much could really change unless I pulled some stupid bullshit. I mean, think about it. You may think that if you were in the same position, without precognition, that you would do a better job, but let's be honest. If any of us schmucks were inserted into the setting with no experience with it, we'd probably do shit even worse than Naofumi did. A lack of precognition usually makes things easier, but here it just made things more difficult.**

**Shield Hero just is not a good place to do a self-insert without careful planning, something which I neglected to do, which I will not repeat in the future.**

**That's just about it actually. Nothing I can really say other than those three points to justify cutting this off so short. Although I think it's better this way rather than just quietly letting this fic fall off to the wayside, leaving the few who actually enjoyed it wondering if it will ever update again.**

**Here's a little tidbit: Never accept a challenge on fanfic. It will kill you, like it did me.**

**Honestly now I just feel like an asshole, but don't worry! This is the only story I am, officially, ending. RAR and another project in the works are still ongoing, and I'll update Requiem whenever I feel like, which isn't liable to be soon but I'm not giving up on it yet. Just gotta get the taste of RWBY Season 6 outta my mouth, if you understand.**

**So yeah, moral of the story? Plan out your damn story, or else you'll end up like this trash-heap: Rushed, rash, and all around unpleasant to read, in my opinion.**


End file.
